The Hybrids
by themoonlightdragon
Summary: Pelican lived for six years in a prison with the other hybrids, a gruff but caring group of dragons who she's grown to love. She finally has the chance to escape, but freedom isn't everything she's imagined, and Pelican starts to wonder how far she'll go to be free. **Rated T for death and trauma**
1. A Prisoner Arrives

_Note: this story begins 1,000 years before the events of the war and The Dragonet Prophecy_

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **A Prisoner Arrives**

"Breakfast," came a dry, weary voice from the passageway.

From the dim, smoky torchlight came a small blue-gray dragon. As he shuffled down the cave hall, slipping a small amount of prey into each prisoner's cage, a small dragon's head shot up. Her scales were an odd gray-blue with streaks of white.

"So you remembered this time," hissed a thin, sickly-looking pale orange dragon, sticking his head through the bars. The guard jumped back. "How long has it been since you remembered breakfast?"

"Nine days," was the instant reply from the gray-blue dragon, piercing the guard with startling lilac eyes. "Nine days since you last brought us breakfast."

"I have more important things to do," said the guard impatiently, shoving a small bird into the cage of an amber-gold dragon, who hissed viciously. His tail twitched involuntarily, but being chained to the floor, did nothing.

"Of course," the pale orange one snapped, narrowing his yellow eyes. "The lives of fellow dragons matter less than meetings and organizations."

The guard walked over to the wall and snatched up a cruel-looking spear. "Silence, all of you, right now," he growled, showing his fierce side for the first time that morning; he advanced on the orange dragon, who snapped his mouth shut with a look of loathing.

The moment the guard left, the gray-blue dragon poked at the unappetizing heap of feathers before her. "What is this stuff?" She muttered, the unpleasant smell wafting towards her snout.

"Garbage, that's what this is," quipped an iridescently white dragon in the cage across from her. Her ruff changed from emerald green to bright orange to deep crimson in a matter of seconds.

"It's better than nothing," said the blue dragon, biting down into the bird and spitting out gray and white feathers.

"It is _not_ better than nothing," hissed the angry orange dragon, lashing his tail on the cave floor. "It's just Pelican trying to see the best in things again."

"We wouldn't survive in here if everyone was all negative," Pelican said, hurt. "Can I help that I want to see the best in things?"

"Yeah," agreed the white dragon sympathetically. "I think it's a good thing that we have Pelican to give us all a positive perspective on things. And I think you could do with some positivity, Falcon."

Pelican peered through the bars at the sickly, pale dragon. His face softened for a moment. "I guess you're right, Iceberg. Sorry, Pelican. I didn't mean to take out my anger on you."

"That's alright," said Pelican, her voice soft.

"We're all angry," interjected a deep crimson dragon quietly. The cave walls around her were covered in scratches- tally marks for each day she'd been in the prison. "We just don't have anything or anyone to take it out on."

"Except the guard," hissed the amber dragon softly, a faint smirk on his face. "You did a good job intimidating him, Falcon."

"Thanks, Salamander," said Falcon, his eyes glinting.

Salamander nodded. Pelican followed his eyes down his back to his venomous tail, which was dripping purple venom onto the cave floor. Metal restraints clamped down on it; Pelican couldn't imagine how infuriating that would be, to have your only weapon trapped beneath a metal grip year after year.

Of course, she still considered him the luckiest there, because he actually had a weapon. Being half IceWing and half SeaWing, she had none of the natural weapons from either tribe, apart from a few glowing scales by her snout. She had tried endlessly to frostbreath her chains into breaking, but never any luck. On the other talon, though, then she'd have to have her mouth clamped all the time. She would hate that, not being able to even talk.

"I'd like to try next time," the crimson dragon suggested hopefully. Pelican turned back to the bloodred dragon; she was confused at first, until she realized they were still talking about scaring the guard, which was their only source of entertainment.

"You?" Falcon considered doubtfully. "Bloodspiller, can you really be intimidating?"

"Of course I can," Bloodspiller growled, her talons twitching. "I just choose to be quiet because I can. You guys are _so loud."_

"I'm not," Pelican protested, flapping her overlarge wings indignantly.

"That's fair," Bloodspiller nodded.

Pelican turned back to her meal. It was some sort of bird, but it was mostly feathers, and the little meat it had was bland and dry. "When do we get some _fish?_ " She complained.

"Blech, who would eat fish?" Asked Iceberg, wrinkling her snout.

"I would," said Pelican wistfully. "And you're half IceWing; don't IceWings like fish?"

"Nope, I'm pretty sure that's your SeaWing side," said Falcon. "I agree with Iceberg. Fish..." he shuddered. "All slimy and drippy."

"I just want some cows or mountain goats or _something_ bigger than this pile of feathers," said Salamander, who had eaten his bird in a matter of seconds.

Falcon's head suddenly snapped up. Pelican turned quickly to look at him, and the others stopped talking immediately. Falcon had the best hearing of anyone there.

Then Pelican could hear it, too. Webbed talons slapping against stone.

"Another meal?" Falcon mused quietly. As the talonsteps got closer, she could hear the second group of talons; soft, small steps. "To what would we owe such a great honor?" Pelican cocked her head at him. Did he really think they were getting more food?

No, Falcon knew just as well as Penguin did. Another dragonet was coming.

The guard ducked into the passageway, holding a coarse rope. On the other end of the rope, a small, scared-looking dragonet followed, the rope around her neck.

At first she appeared to be a normal NightWing, but when she came into the torchlight, it revealed that her scales were actually dark purple; she also had a ruff around her ears.

Another dragon followed behind them; a large green SeaWing they had never seen before. "What happened?" He rumbled angrily. "We raided the rainforest and the Night Kingdom, we found them all!"

"This one was hiding," the first guard growled back. "Don't ask me how, I'm not in charge of finding them! My job is to feed them!"

"He does a very bad job," Iceberg quipped. "You should probably fire him."

"Quiet, dragonet,"said the green SeaWing sharply.

"I'm seven!" Iceberg protested. Was it just Pelican's imagination, or did the green SeaWing look surprised? Yes, she was quite small for a seven-year-old, but that might have been caused by the fact that she was underfed. Or were most hybrids naturally small?

This dragonet certainly was. Either that or she was very young. She was nervously scanning the cave room, looking anxiously at Falcon's hostile expression, Salamander's venomous tail, and the scratches on the wall inside Bloodspiller's cave. She was the only dragonet Pelican had ever seen younger than herself.

The SeaWing guard pushed the dragonet into the cage next to hers. The dragonet looked up at Pelican with frightened eyes as the guard clamped chains around her back talons. Her tail curled protectively into a tight coil, and Pelican saw that she had a few silver scales scattered around it.

"I was sure we caught them all," said the guard over his shoulder. "Almost positive."

"Well, if there was one in hiding, there could be more," said the green dragon. "We need to inform Eel." He glanced at the guard, who dusted off his talons and started towards the exit. The green dragon followed after him.

Falcon tipped his head through the bars. "Are they gone?" Iceberg whispered. When Falcon nodded, she instantly started into a welcoming speech.

"Hello, new dragon," Iceberg said, her ruff turning a delighted yellow. They hadn't had a new dragon since Bloodspiller first came in, when Pelican was only about one or two years old. "I'm Iceberg, and I'm an IceWing-RainWing hybrid. What's your name?"

The dragonet mumbled something undestinguishable.

"What was that again?" Iceberg asked cheerfully. Pelican knew she was trying to be friendly, but she could tell that Iceberg was intimidating their new guest.

"Treejumper," the dragonet repeated. "I'm a NightWing-RainWing hybrid." She looked around anxiously, then asked softly, as if afraid she was being rude,"Is everyone here a hybrid?"

"Of course they are," said Iceberg, confused.

"Don't you know about the hunts?" Falcon hissed in a low voice.

"My mother hid me," said Treejumper quietly, her voice trembling with fear. "She didn't tell me anything, just to never go outside the cave."

"The Hybrid Hunts were when a small group of dragons, insisting that hybrids were dangerous and impure," explained Falcon. "They looked through every kingdom, trying to find hybrids, and they captured them and imprisoned them."

"Why are there so few of us?" Treejumper asked.

"Hardly anyone dares to marry outside their own tribe," Falcon growled.

"This is Falcon," said Iceberg. "He's a SkyWing-IceWing mix. He can be grouchy sometimes, but he's nice once you get to know him."

"I can introduce myself," Falcon snapped.

"And next to you is Pelican," Iceberg continued. "She's pretty shy, but she's always looking on the bright side and she's really nice. She's half SeaWing, half IceWing."

"Hi," Pelican whispered. Treejumper still looked pretty intimidated. Pelican wished she could tell her, _don't worry. You're not alone. We're all scared, but I want to be your friend._

"There are a lot of IceWing hybrids here," Treejumper observed quietly.

"Yeah," smiled Iceberg. "Not everybody, though. Salamander is the one across from you. He's half MudWing, half SandWing. He's pretty fierce to the guards, but he's funny and goofy to us."

 _Funny and goofy?_ Pelican thought. _I guess I'm not the only one here who looks on the bright side._ Salamander wasn't mean, but funny wasn't exactly the word to describe him.

"Oh," said Treejumper, her eyes locked on Salamander's venomous tail.

"And Bloodspiller is a NightWing hybrid, like you," said Iceberg. "She's also half SkyWing. She's been marking down the days she's been in prison. Her name is menacing, but she's actually really cool."

"Hi," said Treejumper.

"Tell us your story," Iceberg urged. "What happened? How did you get caught?"

Treejumper looked alarmed. "Iceberg, give her some time," Pelican suggested. "It was probably pretty traumatizing for her; you were caught as a baby dragonet, with no memories of your past. She's probably still trying to forget about what happened."

"Okay," said Iceberg. Treejumper shot Pelican a grateful look. "How old are you?" the white dragon asked instead.

"I'm four," said Treejumper, her voice falling like raindrops on stone.

"One year younger than me," said Pelican quietly.

"Yeah," Iceberg agreed. "Pelican is five, Bloodspiller is six, I'm seven, and Falcon and Salamander are eight. Falcon's been here the longest. Salamander was captured only a few days before I was. About a year later, Pelican, and two years later, Bloodspiller. It's been almost... three years since Bloodspiller's capture?"

"Nine hundred and eighty-two days," said Bloodspiller.

Treejumper glanced at Bloodspiller's wall of tallies. "That's a long time," she whispered. "When do they let you go?"

"Let you go?" Iceberg asked, confused.

"Let you free," said Treejumper.

"Either nobody has reached the age where they let you free, or they let you free... never," Iceberg winced. Pelican knew it would be less frightening if they told Treejumper a lie, but that wouldn't be very kind.

"Oh," said Treejumper softly.

Pelican examined the purple dragonet carefully. She had this sort of tingly feeling in her talons when she looked at her. The kind of feeling that said this dragonet was different.

The kind of feeling that said that pretty soon, everything was going to change.


	2. An Old Friend

**Chapter 2**

 **An Old Friend**

The dragons hadn't eaten in three days, since when Treejumper first arrived. The past three days had been uneventful: Treejumper didn't speak to anyone, three more tallies had appeared on Bloodspiller's wall, and Falcon got more and more testy.

Pelican was starting to think she could never get Treejumper to talk. Several times she'd tried to start up a conversation, but the little purple dragonet never replied.

"We have to do something," Falcon hissed, leaning through the bars into Pelican's cage. His yellow eyes darted from Pelican to the deep purple dragon lying curled up in her cell.

"What?" Pelican asked, leaning fowards on her talons.

"She hasn't talked for three days," Falcon whispered, his eyes narrowing. The pale orange dragon was prickly on the outside, so the only way to know how he was feeling was by his eyes. His eyes were always moving- darting from place to place, narrowing, lighting up. "Not since she first came here. Someone has to talk to her."

All of the sudden, his head snapped up. "Food," he whispered, a faint smile appearing on his face as the sound of webbed talons slapped on the rocky ceiling above. Not only did the arrival of food quench the dragons' hunger, it was one of the only conversation starters. It was as if a prayer had been answered.

A small sapphire blue dragon clambered clumsily down the passageway, bumping his snout as he climbed down. A small leather bag was slung across his shoulders. He was thin and small; he couldn't have been any older than Falcon or Salamander.

Pelican and Falcon exchanged glances. They were shocked; the same dragon had brought their food for their entire lives. The arrival of a new guard could only mean one thing- the old guard had been fired, disgraced, or even killed.

But their surprise was dwarfed in comparison to the surprise they felt when they saw the look of pure terror on Treejumper's face.

"Catfish?" Treejumper gaped.

"By the moons, what are you doing here, Treejumper?" The blue dragon cried, his voice panicky. "What happened? Why are you here?"

Pelican looked from Treejumper to the new guard. They seemed to... know each other?

"They caught me," whispered Treejumper.

Catfish buried his face in his talons. "I'm so sorry," he croaked. "If I knew- I never would- I didn't know-" he stammered.

Falcon narrowed his eyes to slits. "What happened to our old guard?"

Catfish's shoulders dropped. Pelican noticed for the first time the look in his eyes. They were bloodshot and red. He walked with a twitchy manner, and had a nervous-looking aura.

"He was- disposed of-" Catfish said, ducking his head.

Pelican and Falcon looked back at each other. They could tell from his voice that the old guard had been killed. _Disposed of._ Pelican shuddered. _That's what it comes to these days._

"What did he do?" Falcon asked, his eyes still locked on Pelican.

"What I want to know is why you two know each other," said Bloodspiller, pacing in her cell. Pelican felt a lump in her throat. Did she really want to know?

"That's right!" Iceberg interrupted. "You two do know each other! What's the story?"

Treejumper glanced briefly at Catfish. The blue dragon nodded. _Yes. Tell them._

"Catfish's parents were friends of my mother," said Treejumper. "He used to hunt for us when I was really little, when Mother couldn't leave the cave. He'd bring us fish and coconuts. And we'd play together. Even once I was old enough that Mother could leave the cave to hunt, he'd still come back to play with me."

Her face darkened. "But one day... he never came back."

She whirled around, and tears were suddenly streaming down her cheeks. She seemed to have come to the same realization Pelican had. "Catfish and his parents were the only ones who knew where I was hiding," she accused.

"What?" Iceberg asked, confused. "What's going on? I thought you guys were friends."

Pelican locked eyes with the sparkling white dragon. "He turned her in," she croaked, checking Catfish's eyes to make sure she was right. His face confirmed her suspicions. "He told them where Treejumper was hiding."

"Ohhhhh," Iceberg sighed.

Pelican exhaled slowly through her teeth.

"How could you join them!" Treejumper shrieked, her breathing shallow. "You joined the committee that was hunting for hybrids like me!"

"They made me," Catfish pleaded, suddenly seeming a lot smaller. "They killed my parents, they were going to kill me too, I had no choice!"

Treejumper looked startled for a moment, a shadow of sympathy in her eyes.

Her face clouded. "My mother is dead, too," she growled, weeping. "My mother is dead, Catfish! She's dead... because of you."

"It's not my fault-" Catfish begged.

It was the wrong choice of words. They seemed to stir up an anger, and the purple dragonet screamed, "I HATE YOU!"

Bloodspiller advanced on him, poking her head through the bars. The look on her face said clearly: _you mess with her, you mess with us._

"No- no, it's not what it sounds like," Catfish choked. "I didn't- I told them- not what you think-"

"Go," said Treejumper darkly, pointing her talon to the passageway. "You've made it clear whose side you're on."

Catfish reached into his pouch and thrust a pile of feathery prey into Falcon's cell. Falcon hissed at him, and he backed up, bowing his head.

He quickly shuffled up the passageway, leaving the hybrids to stew in sullen silence. Falcon passed Pelican a pile of prey. She took a bird and passed the rest to Treejumper, who passed it on to Bloodspiller.

Pelican clawed through her pile of feathers and found the meat, but she had lost her appetite, so she slid her prey over to the back of the cave for later.

She looked at Falcon, who had a sly expression on his face. "Falcon," Pelican said in a warning tone. "What's your idea?"

He turned to Pelican, his eyes glinting. "This new guard is exactly what we need."

"What we need?" Pelican questioned.

"For _escape,_ " Falcon hissed.

Bloodspiller whirled around, her sharp crimson head snapping up. "Escape," she growled. "Falcon just said _escape_."

"I did," said Falcon. "This guard- he carries pain on his shoulders. If we apply the right amount of pressure, convince him it'll repay his debt to Treejumper- he'll let us free."

"Free," Pelican breathed, loving the way the word sounded. It curled smoothly around her tongue, whooshing like a feather on air.

"Wait, no," Treejumper worried. "I'm not going to crawl back to him for help after he betrayed me. We can't trust him! How do we know he'll even let us go?"

"He will," said Falcon confidently. "He's blinded by his guilt. He'd do anything to make it up to you."

"No," said Treejumper. "I can't trick him."

"I am going to escape," Salamander hissed, lurching forwards on his talons. "And no _four-year-old dragonet_ is going to get in my way."

Treejumper flinched back.

"Salamander!" Pelican cried.

"Sorry," Salamander said, ducking his head. "I just- being in here- it's- it's driving me crazy."

"Okay," Treejumper whispered. "I'll help you."

Pelican's heart leaped. She hadn't seen daylight for almost five years. Her life was a smooth, steady pattern, pattering like raindrops on a roof. But now- the balance had changed. Things were changing, falling out of alignment.

She could finally have the life she'd dreamed of having.


	3. Escape

**Chapter 3**

 **A New World**

"Now do Pelican," Falcon commanded.

Pelican smiled at Falcon. Standing outside of his cell with his face alight with joy, he looked years younger. The click of a lock did all that.

The cell door swung open. Pelican shivered as she stepped across... walking into a new world. "I never thought this would happen," she whispered. It felt like a mark of history. _The day I was set free._

"I should _not_ be doing this," Catfish cried, unlocking Salamander's cell. He nervously eyed the amber dragon's venomous tail. "You sure you're not gonna stab me with that thing?"

"Of course not," said Salamander pleasantly, leaning forwards on his talons.

"Okay..." Catfish pulled a rusted key from his key ring and unlocked the chains. Salamander jumped up, flexing his tail happily.

Pelican shrugged her shoulders to relieve the tension in her wings. She was finally free. It was amazing and, to be honest, a little scary.

"This. Is. So. Amazing!" Iceberg squeaked.

Pelican rubbed her wrists. They were raw and vulnerable from the metal restraints, and a little blood stained them from the place where the chains pinched.

"You're bleeding," said Falcon in a worried voice.

"So are you," said Pelican, pointing to his wrists.

Treejumper gave Catfish a hug, and he smiled, embarrassed. "Thank you so much," she said. "I don't know what I'd do without you to help us free."

"You would still be in hiding without me," Catfish mumbled.

"They'd have caught me anyway," said Treejumper, obviously trying to convince herself it was true. "And you helped my friends get free. They'd be in here so much longer without you."

 _Friends?_ Pelican thought. _A few days ago, she refused to talk to us, and now we're friends?_ She shrugged it off. She would be honored to have Treejumper as her friend.

"How do we get out?" Bloodspiller asked. She gazed mornfully at the nine hundred eighty-nine marks on the wall behind her.

"Just follow me," said Catfish, scrambling up the passageway. When Treejumper followed, Pelican decided to trust him. As she climbed up the passageway, putting each talon on top of the other, she became painfully aware that her climbing skills were very, _very_ rusty.

In front of her was a long tunnel with a few doors covered in moss. The tunnel made her nervous; she felt as if a guard might come any moment to take her away.

"This way," Catfish whispered, ducking through the first door.

Pelican ducked under the door and was suddenly blinded by light streaming through. Next to her, Iceberg straightened up, spreading her wings and soaking up the sunlight. Her ruff changed from red to blue to green in a dazzling second.

"Wow," said Pelican, "You look amazing, Iceberg."

Iceberg looked down. Her white scales reflected all the colors of the rainbow, shimmering in gorgeous iridescence. "Thanks, Pelican," she said. "You look really cool in the light, too."

Pelican spread her wings and peered closely at them. Her scales looked like tiny grayish sapphires and her white streaks looked like glittering diamonds. On her other side, Falcon's pale orange scales glimmered with a beautiful light.

"Quick, follow me," said Catfish, leading them down a small path into a forest. As they ducked under the trees into the shade, he made a satisfied sound. "Now they can't see us. Or hear us."

He hesitated. "Now that you're out here, I should probably go."

"No," said Treejumper, reaching out a talon to catch him. "Come with us. You'll be punished if you come back and they're missing."

"That's right," said Catfish. He scanned the hybrids. "Can I come? Is that okay with you?"

"You freed us," said Iceberg. "It's the least we can do." Pelican, Bloodspiller and Iceberg nodded in agreement, and after a moment of hesitation, so did Falcon and Salamander.

"But where do we go?" Said Bloodspiller. "What do we do?"

"We're in a new world," said Iceberg. "We explore."

"We can't," Falcon reasoned. "Everyone out there is on the lookout for hybrids. I say we find a hideout in a cave and make a life there."

"How is that any better than being in prison?" Iceberg argued. "We don't look _that_ strange. Nobody's going to put us in prison 'cause we look a little different."

"Catfish- can we?" Treejumper asked.

Catfish hesitated. "Depends. Can you guys pass as regular dragons?"

Pelican peered at her companions. "Iceberg could probably," she mused. "She could manage to look like a RainWing, if dragons could overlook her spikes."

Iceberg twisted her head around, trying to flatten her spikes down. "And Falcon could tell dragons that he was a SkyWing hatched with too little fire."

Falcon heaved a breath, trying to produce either frostbreath or fire. No luck. "Or no fire," Falcon hissed. He looked at Pelican. "You could pass as a SeaWing."

"I don't know," said Pelican regretfully. "I think most SeaWings have glowing scales on their wings and tails and underbellies. I only have these on my snout." She lit up the few glowing scales on her snout. "And look at Catfish's scales. His blue, versus my blue. Mine is much grayer."

"Treejumper could pass as a RainWing, too," said Falcon. "I don't know about Bloodspiller, though." The crimson dragon's wings drooped. "Or Salamander. He looks mostly like a MudWing, but that tail is a huge givaway that he's a hybrid."

"You could cut it off," Catfish suggested. "It probably wouldn't hurt."

"No!" said Salamander and Treejumper at the same time. Salamander looked surprised, so Treejumper continued: "That's our only weapon. I mean, Bloodspiller has fire and Pelican has gills, so she can probably breathe underwater, but those aren't exactly weapons, and we need someone to be our defender in case of attack."

"Yeah," Salamander agreed; still, he looked a bit surprised that the little dragonet agreed with him.

"Shouldn't hybrids be super dangerous?" Asked Iceberg wistfully. "Why can't I have, like, venomous frostbreath or something? And Falcon could have fire-frostbreath, but I'm pretty sure they counteract each other so maybe that wouldn't be too dangerous.

"And Treejumper could have venom fire, and Pelican could have frostbreath and could breathe underwater and could have glowing scales, even though those aren't weapons," she rambled on. "Ooh, and Bloodspiller could be, like a mind-reading superflier!"

Pelican rubbed her snout. "I wish," she said ruefully. How many times had she breathed on her chains, hoping to freeze them open? IceWing's greatest weapon, and she didn't get it. Hybrids should have been super-powerful megatribes, but instead they were just a sad middle ground.

"So we can't explore," said Bloodspiller. "What can we do?"

"We find a cave," said Falcon. "And we make it our home."

"But what can we do there that's better than being in prison?" Asked Iceberg.

Pelican spotted a few blue-violet berries out of the corner of her eye. She creeped over and plucked a few of them; she sniffed them. They smelled edible.

"We can swim," said Falcon, nodding at Pelican, who smiled shyly back at him. "We can fly, if we're careful. We get food _every day._ "

"Every day!" Bloodspiller cried.

"And not just piles of feathers," said Salamander. "Whole _cows_."

"Hey, guys, speaking of food, I found some berries," said Pelican, pulling the others out of their trance; she held up a few purplish-blue fruits for the others to see.

"I still have the birds I was going to bring you in the prison," said Catfish. "We can eat those."

"Let's feast!" Iceberg proclaimed to cheers.

"First let's get out of here," said Falcon practically, eyeing the large cave just still in view. "We're still in sight of the prison."

"I hear a river," said Pelican. "If we follow that, we can get away from here while still having a water source." She paused. "I'm assuming we're in the Sky Kingdom, seeing as we have mountain caves and birds. We can probably find a cave to hide in."

"That's smart," said Falcon. "The river is..." he cocked his head. "...Over there." He trudged through the greenery, pushing aside tree branches. "Pelican, can you pick a few more berries?"

"Sure," said Pelican, plucking berries from the bushes. Catfish took the birds out of his leather pouch and passed it to Pelican so she could put the berries in it. When the bag was full, she followed after Falcon.

It took a few minutes to reach the river. "I know we said we should get farther away first, but can we please eat now?" Iceberg asked, stomach growling.

"Yeah, I think we're far enough away," said Bloodspiller. "And we have to eat."

"Dragons can survive up to three months without food," said Pelican.

"How do you _know_ all this stuff?" Asked Treejumper curiously. "You all were captured so young. How do you know anything about Pyrrhia?"

"I wasn't," said Bloodspiller.

"Well," said Pelican, thinking, "I guess when we were first in our prison, we didn't have anything else to do but remember. We all kind of just wanted to remember what life was like before starvation and prison and claustrophobia."

"You have claustrophobia?" Treejumper cocked her head.

"How can't you when you're in prison for years and years?" Asked Pelican drily.

Treejumper was silent.

"Yeah, let's eat," said Falcon, ripping up the feathery birds and distributing them. He tossed a pile of feathers at Pelican. "Pass out the berries."

"Oh, yeah," said Pelican, catching the bird. She set it down next to her and scooped up a talonful of berries from the pouch; she dropped them in front of Bloodspiller.

"Could we catch some fish for Pelican?" Falcon asked.

"I'm fine," said Pelican. She smiled, glad he'd thought about her. She knew that it would be more practical to wait, though, especially since nobody else liked them. "We can catch some later."

"Are you sure these aren't poisonous?" Asked Bloodspiller, spearing one with her talon. Blue-violet juice squirted across her talons.

Falcon popped one in his mouth. "Don't taste poisonous to me."

"Falcon!" Pelican's brow creased in worry. "I forgot to think about that. How do you tell which berries are poisonous?"

"They're perfectly fine," said Catfish, sitting down on the grass. "I used to bring them to Treejumper and her mother all the time."

"From _this_ forest?" Asked Treejumper.

"Yeah."

"That means my hiding spot isn't too far away!" Treejumper cried. "We can go back there and find it, and live there!"

"But won't they think to look there?" Salamander reasoned.

"Oh." The purple dragonet's wings drooped, and for a moment Pelican looked around. It was almost strange to realize that the others were dragonets, too. Okay, technically she and Bloodspiller were the only ones who were dragonets, but Iceberg had barely reached dragonhood, and the other two had only been full grown for a few years.

Pelican looked down. It felt strange knowing she was a dragonet. She had probably experienced more than most dragons experienced in their entire lives. Or rather, _not_ experienced. She'd spent most of her dragonethood in a dark, musty prison and she didn't even do anything.

Her eyes burned. All the experiences she'd missed out on... spending time with her family. She remembered faintly the cold, icy region where she used to live. The river was cold enough for her father's liking, and her mother could be around water. Pelican loved them both. She remembered diving into the icy depths of the waters.

What about the time she caught her first seal? Her mother was so proud. It made Pelican's heart throb to know that she'd never get to experience anything like that again.

"Pelican."

Pelican looked up. Falcon was staring intensely at her. "What's wrong?" He asked. "You looked like you were taking a walk on one of the moons."

"Oh... just thinking," she said softly.

"Don't think too hard," said Falcon. "What happened to that positive attitude?"

"I have nothing else to be positive about," Pelican realized. "We've kind of done everything we planned of doing; achieved all our goals, you know? What else do we have to achieve?"

"We have one thing."

"What?" Pelican looked up.

His eyes turned serious. _"Don't get caught."_

"The sun is setting," said Treejumper, lying on her back as she popped berries into her mouth. "Lie down and watch the sunset, Pelican."

 _Me?_

"Okay," said Pelican, shuffling over and sitting herself down next to Treejumper. She looked up. A burst of orange and pink was spread across the sky.

"Wow." It was like she was witnessing a miracle. She hadn't seen a sunset in four years.

"What is that?" Asked Falcon, not lying down.

"That's the sunset, Falcon," said Pelican.

"It's beautiful," said Falcon.

Pelican was surprised. How could anyone not know what a sunset was? All of the sudden, she was overwhelmed with a strong sense of déjà vu.

 _"What is that?" Pelican asked, pointing a talon at the sky. The sun set, reflectiong gorgeous rainbow colors on the icy water._

 _"That's the sunset, Pellie," said her father._

 _"It's beautiful," said Pelican._

Pelican felt a shiver run down her spine as she clutched her head. She never felt like this before, memories of her parents popping up everywhere. Was freedom doing this to her?

"Look," said Falcon, pointing a talon at the three moons faintly rising on the horizon. "Three moons."

"Wow," said Pelican, looking at the three moons in the sky above. As the sun set, they could make them out more clearly. "They're all full."

"A brightest night," Falcon whispered.

A thousand years before, on the brightest night, a dragonet was born of night and ice, destined for glory and greatness and pain and infamy. A thousand years later on the brightest night, the dragonets were born in a cave underground. On this brightest night, Pelican and the other hybrids finally found freedom.

* * *

 _Okay, so this chapter's a lot longer, but okay then. OC's are still being accepted, but I'll probably draw the deadline for February 1st, so if you have any OC's to submit, make sure to do it now._

 _This story is not accepting a lot of OC's, though, sorry. Again, no hybrids please, and all that stuff I said in the last chapter._

 _I hope you liked this new chapter, even though it's pretty long. I know it's pretty fast-paced. My next chapter probably won't be for a while._

 _Thanks!_

 _-fantasy_


	4. A Hiding Place

**Chapter 4**

 **A Hiding Place**

"My talons are tired," Iceberg complained. "And this water is all muddy and goopy."

"I like it," said Salamander. "I can feel the mud under my talons. I've always missed mud." The amber dragon was suddenly standing up straighter, his scales suddenly shinier.

"I hate mud," said Iceberg.

"Well, we can't fly," said Falcon, sloshing through the water. Surely this river wasn't pleasant for him- he was a SkyWing-IceWing hybrid, after all. But he never complained.

"BLOORG, this is so disgusting," said Bloodspiller.

Suddenly Falcon's head whipped up, his pale orange scales flashing. "Quiet," he whispered frantically. "Everybody quiet." He looked around, his eyes darting from place to place.

Suddenly a small voice called out, "Who are you?" Pelican looked over at the trees, where the noise had come from, but she saw nothing.

"Don't answer," Falcon whisper-shouted.

"I- I know you're there," the voice cried out, her voice wobbling. "Please don't hurt me."

Pelican met Falcon's eye. He shook his head slightly. Pelican turned around, regret beating in her heart as she called out, "We come in peace."

From the trees, a tiny figure slowly walked out. She was even smaller than Treejumper. "Please don't hurt me," she repeated, whimpering. But when she looked up, her eyes widened.

"You're _hybrids,_ " she breathed.

Pelican couldn't help it; at the sight of the dragonet, a tiny gasp escaped her. The tiny dragon had dusty black scales and bloodshot eyes. The undersides of her wings had several scattered silver scales and she also had a few scattering her tail. Her underscales gleamed green.

"You're a NightWing," Pelican gaped. "A secret NightWing."

But what astonished her most was the dragonet's wings. They were horribly deformed, covered in dark burns and looked as if it had been marked with lava. The dragonet followed Pelican's gaze and sensitively twitched them back to seem smaller.

"Pelican, you idiot," Salamander groaned. "We don't have time to be socializing with a treachorous NightWing! You told them who we are! She'll turn us in."

"You're hybrids," the dragonet whispered. Her breathing got shallow. "Are you gonna eat me? Are you gonna kill me? Are you gonna hurt me, like the Darkstalker?"

"The Darkstalker," Iceberg wondered. "Who's the Darkstalker?"

The dragonet relaxed.

Pelican eyed her lean build. She was almost as skinny as the hybrids, all of whom were fiercely thin. "Do you want some food?" she asked.

"What are you doing?" Salamander cried.

"No, Pelican's right," said Falcon. "Look at her wings! She's an outcast, like us. She could join us, if she wanted to." The dragonet curled her wings sensitively.

"I'm Startail," said the dragonet. Pelican looked down at her tail and noticed she had several unusual silver scales speckling them. _Oh. Startail_. "And who are you guys?"

"I'm Pelican," said Pelican. "The white one is Iceberg... she's super friendly. The orange one is Falcon," she continued, smiling at the pale orange dragon. "Salamander is the amber dragon, Treejumper is the purple one, the crimson one is Bloodspiller, and that's Catfish."

"Pelican." Said the dragonet. "Iceberg. Falcon. Salamander. Tree...jumper? Bloodspiller. Catfish." She peered at the blue dragon. "Are you all hybrids? This one looks completely normal."

"Okay, Catfish is pure SeaWing, but the rest of us are hybrids," said Iceberg, giving Startail a wide grin. The young NightWing gave her a tentative smile. "I know dragons say we're evil, but we're not. They're judging us unfairly, and if you'll excuse me, I think you might be used to that sort of treatment."

"Because of my wings?" Startail asked. "Actually, I am." She sighed softly.

"Come with me," said Startail. "Please, we're starving."

"We?" Treejumper inquired.

"Me and my friends," said Startail. "Hurricane and Cerise. We're scared to venture out too far into the forest. We might be caught!"

"We can't come," said Salamander immediately. "We won't be lured into another trap."

"Do you remember what it was like to be starving?" Iceberg asked, glaring at him. "We have to help them. They're like us!"

"Are the other two... like you?" Salamander asked, eying Startail's wing.

Startail flinched. A second later she nodded. "Come. Help us!" she pleaded. "I saw you have food. If you share with us, we'll help hide you."

"Alright," said Salamander, his back stiffening. "But if we get caught in a trap, it's your fault, Iceberg." He swished his venomous tail through the air. "You too, Pelican," he added. Pelican stiffened.

"This way," Startail called, taking off through the trees. Iceberg immediately trudged after her. After some hesitation, Pelican followed. The others followed after her.

The forest was dense, but it slowly cleared out until the trees stopped around a few mossy boulders. "Right here," said Startail. She reached out a talon and pulled aside a boulder. Behind that was a large boulder with a hole just large enough for Salamander to squeeze through.

"This is where you guys live?" Salamander asked, disgusted.

"It's bigger on the inside," said Startail. She ducked inside; a moment later, a talon stretched out, and a muffled voice called, "Come on in!"

Iceberg shrugged and squeezed through. "Ooh, it really is huge," she said, her voice muffled too. "Clever. C'mon guys! It's cool in here!"

Pelican ducked through. It took her eyes a moment to get used to the light. A few musty torches hung from the walls.

Once her eyes adjusted, she looked around. Behind her, Bloodspiller was crawling through. The boulder appeared to have been covering some sort of cave. On the left, moss hung down, covering a doorway to what appeared to be a new room. On the right was another.

"Cerise! Hurricane!" Startail called. "C'mon out, you won't guess what I found!"

From the doorway on the left ducked out a friendly-looking SeaWing. His scales were deep blue, and his scales flashed in a friendly way. A long scar slashed down his wing. He looked to be about seven years old.

"Hurricane is mute," said Startail. "He talks in Aquatic... Cerise and I have had to learn it over the years. He just said..." she frowned.

"He said, 'Startail, what have you done now, bringing hybrids here?'" Catfish finished, frowning. Hurricane's scales flashed again. "Now he says he wasn't trying to be mean," said Catfish.

Catfish flashed his scales back.

Hurricane flashed his scales once more. "He said, he can understand you when you speak normally," said Catfish. "Sorry, Hurricane."

Hurricane smiled.

"Here, I'll get you a key of Aquatic," said Startail. "Cerise and I made it."

The little NightWing ducked under the second doorway. A moment later, she and a small red-pink SkyWing came out.

"Startail, you brought HYBRIDS into our secret hiding place?" She rasped. Her voice was low and husky. She was small, looking to be about six years old, with a dark red underbelly and a small gold ring on her horn.

"They have food," said Startail, tossing Pelican the scroll.

"No catch?" Asked Cerise suspiciously.

"We were prisoners," said Pelican, emptying the leather pouch of the remaining berries. "But Catfish helped us escape."

"Prisoners?" Cerise asked.

 _From the hybrid hunts?_ Hurricane flashed.

"Yes," Iceberg admitted.

"Just great," said Cerise moodily. "You invited a few Darkstalkers into our secret hiding spot! We can't trust them! What were you thinking?"

Pelican peered at Cerise. For a moment, she saw nothing wrong with the SkyWing. But when she turned around, Pelican caught sight of her tail. It was heavily bandaged, and underneath the bandages she could see that her tail was crooked, leaning to the left.

 _Hmm,_ Pelican thought. _Does that affect her flying?_ She wanted to ask, but it seemed rude.

"Those berries poison?" Asked Cerise.

"No," said Falcon, lifting his chin. "And we came here because we know what it's like to be in hiding, and we know what it's like to be starving, and-"

Cerise nodded, and Pelican thought she saw a glimmer of understanding there.

"That's Falcon," said Startail. "The gray one is Pelican, the friendly one is Iceberg, that's Bloodspiller and Treejumper; the one talking with Hurricane is Catfish; and that's Salamander."

Hurricane popped a few berries into his mouth.

 _Yum! Where did you find these?_ Hurricane asked, flashing his stripes excitedly. He speared the blueish-purplish berries.

"In the woods, by the river," said Bloodspiller.

 _Hey- gray dragon,_ said Hurricane.

"Me?" Pelican asked, checking the scroll to make sure she was right.

 _Yeah,_ Hurricane flashed. _You're part SeaWing, right? Can your scales light up?_

"Only a few," said Pelican, flashing the scales on her snout. "I only have the ones by my snout, and I don't even know what they mean. I just used them on dark nights when everybody needed light."

 _Oh, those,_ said Hurricane. _They mean a question. That's "who," that's "what," "when," "where," "why," "why not," "how," and "can"._

"Thanks," said Pelican, smiling as she lit up her stripes. "But I can't exactly speak Aquatic with just a few questions."

 _You have some on the underside of your tail,_ said Hurricane.

"Oh, yeah, what do those mean?" Pelican asked. She lit up all the stripes together, and Hurricane burst out laughing. Pelican tried to keep a straight face. "What did I say?" she asked, confused.

"You'd rather not know, actually," said Catfish.

"Now I'm really curious," she joked.

"Guys, the sun's going down," said Startail. "Can the hybrids stay here for the night?" She looked around at Hurricane and Cerise.

 _Why not?_ Hurricane flashed. This time Pelican recognized it without the guide because it was one of the stripes she had.

 _Why not?_ Pelican echoed.

 _You've got it,_ said Hurricane. _Catfish, Salamander, and what's-his-name, you can sleep in my room._

"It's Falcon," said Falcon, leaning over to check the guide.

"Okay," said Cerise, shrugging. "And the rest of you guys, follow me and Startail." She paused. "Did you guys see all the moons last night?"

"Yeah," said Pelican. "It was pretty amazing."

 _A real wonder._


	5. Family Reunion

**Chapter 5**

 **Family Reunion**

The sun was rising. Three moons faded into the sky, sparkling stars disappearing. The sky was streaked a brilliant orange, pink, and blue.

Inside the cave, Startail was rolling aside the boulder. "I'm sorry you guys have to leave so early," said Startail. "We'll miss you."

"Speak for yourself," said Cerise grumpily, pointing a talon at Iceberg. "That one snores."

"Sorry," Iceberg chirped, not sounding sorry at all.

"We've had to live with her snoring for almost seven years," said Salamander grumpily. "You can't complain. And Pelican talks in her sleep sometimes."

Pelican looked down. "Do I really?"

"Yep," said Salamander. "We don't complain, though. It's fascinating stuff. Talons of ice and death and wings swooping down. It's quite the story."

Pelican felt a lump in her throat. She always had dreams when she slept, but she could never remember them when she woke up. Just last night... what was that? All she remembered was a bright green blur.

"We'll come visit again," said Catfish, embracing his new friend. "If we're welcome."

Hurricane flashed his scales in a brilliant flash of light. Only the first part of it Pelican recognized from memory. _Of course..._

Catfish turned to the others. "He said, _of course you are_."

"Bye," said Startail. She turned to Pelican, her eyes grateful, and lowered her voice. "Thank you for telling them it was okay to come out. If you hadn't... I never would have met you all."

"Of course," said Pelican. Looking into Startail's eyes, she suddenly noticed the striking resemblance between her and Treejumper. Was it a NightWing thing? She glanced at Bloodspiller but didn't see it.

Bloodspiller crawled through the space, quietly looking around. When her talons disappeared, Pelican followed after her, feeling slightly claustrophobic.

The sun had risen. Several birds chirped a morning tune. As the hybrids scrambled out of the passageway, Pelican looked back at the three dragons who'd granted them hospitality for the night in exchange for food. Three outcasts, just like them.

"Goodbye," Startail whispered.

"Goodbye," said Cerise gruffly.

 _Goodbye,_ Hurricane flashed.

Salamander rolled the boulder back into place, sealing in behind them the only friends they'd ever known, the dragons who taught Pelican that not all purebreeds were bad. It wasn't _hybrids vs. other dragons._ This was bigger than the Hybrid Hunts.

Pelican put a talon on the mossy boulder. "Goodbye."

.

Pelican floated gracefully through the water. It was pure and clear, unlike the river she'd sloshed through earlier, which had been muddy. Her wings swooped easily through the water, like a sign saying, t _his is who you were meant to be._ The forest had disappeared, slowly morphing into a desert.

She couldn't believe it had been two days since their escape. Two days ago, she was in that horrible prison, restrained from sun and heat and freedom. Was that truly what dragons thought hybrids deserved? To be locked up, away from all of this? Pelican felt a flash of anger. How could they do this to her?

"Look," Salamander called from up in front. All Pelican could see was his amber tail retreating into the distance. As she sloshed through the water, hastily trying to keep up, a small desert town came into view. Huts scattered the desert with a sloppy, handmade look.

"The Sand Kingdom," said Pelican, awed.

"Everybody, duck!" Falcon cried, whirling around so fast that he smacked Pelican and some of the others. Pelican ducked into the water. She opened her eyes and saw a small bucket dipp into the water. Pelican carefully poked her snout above the water so she could see. A pale sand dragonet was gathering water. Next to her, an older dragon stood anxiously.

"Ocelot, hurry up," said the older dragon. Her poisonous tail twitched impatiently.

"Sorry, Mange," said the dragonet regretfully, withdrawing her bucket from the river and carefully heaving it out of the water. "I thought I saw something-" She glanced back at the river.

Pelican ducked back under the water, shutting her eyes tightly.

Beside her, Iceberg resurfaced, sputtering. "Are they gone yet?" She asked, rubbing her eyes and shaking water droplets out of her wings.

The smaller dragonet shrieked.

Pelican resurfaced. "Iceberg, no, you gave us away!" She cried. Her heart was pumping. She'd had two days of freedom. It was as good as over.

"Mange... it's... they're... hybrids," Ocelot breathed. Her sandy pale wings shivered with fear.

"Wait," said Iceberg. "Please don't be afraid. We aren't mean. We're weary travelers... We're lost... Please don't turn us in." Her voice cracked.

"You're hybrids!" Mange yelled. "We have to turn you in! You'll go all crazy psycho on us, like the Darkstalker!"

"Darkstalker!" Blood spiller yelled, distressed. "We're nothing like Darkstalker! The Darkstalker went crazy because he was an animus, not because he was a hybrid! There's nothing wrong with hybrids!"

"Please," said Treejumper. "They killed our parents. They locked us up! We don't even know how to be evil!"

"Wait, they- they killed your parents?" Ocelot's voice wavered. She set down the bucket of water.

"They did," said Treejumper boldly, jutting out her chin.

Pelica's wings shook with the memory. "Please," she cried. "Please don't turn us in, they'll kill us if they find us. We never did anything!"

Mange bowed her head. "You're safe with us," she said. "Come with me." She took Ocelot's talon, picking up the bucket of water and heaving it across her back.

Pelican hesitated. Could she trust them? She turned to Falcon. He nodded his head curtly. _Yes. Let's trust them._ They didn't exactly have another choice

Pelican climbed out of the river, following the two sand dragons. Her talons left prints in the sand. Her wet tail dragged behind her, the sand clinging uncomfortably to it. The very air was loaded with sand that stung harshly between her scales.

The SandWings led her to a small hut, made of mud and sand and sticks. Pelican ducked through the doorway. A small pit lay in the center, sticks piled up around it. Around the walls were spiraling mud steps leading up to another level. A semicircle floor took up half of the space of the first floor. Two hammocks hung from the ceiling.

"Only two?" Catfish wondered aloud. "What about your parents?"

"They're dead," said Mange shortly. "Our mother died giving birth to Ocelot."

"Oh," said Treejumper regretfully. "But what about your father?"

"He had a mate before our mom," said Ocelot. Her talons were shaking slightly. "We didn't think it would be any trouble. We didn't know our stepmom very well. Father visited his son once a week. But one day... he never came back.

"His other mate was a MudWing," Ocelot continued quietly. "Our stepbrother was a hybrid. They came after him and took him away. And they killed our dad."

Mange turned around. "And that is why you all are bad. Hybrids are no good for anyone!"

"It wasn't the dragonet's fault," Pelican said, a sick feeling rising in her stomach.

Ocelot rubbed her eyes.

"What did the dragonet look like?" Pelican asked.

"Well, he had a nick in his ear," said Mange, rubbing her head to remember. "And he had amber scales and a SandWing barb."

The crowd of hybrids parted.

And out stepped Salamander.

Their long-lost stepbrother.

. . .

A large dragon swooped down from the sky. There- next to the river- those were webbed talonprints in the sand! And the claws were clearly serrated. A SeaWing-IceWing hybrid.

 _They were here._

His eyes narrowed. _Hybrids, wherever you are- I will find you. And when I do, I will save the world._

 _Whatever I have to do to save them- my tribe, my family, my life. Nothing will come in my way. Not even a bunch of runaway hybrids._

 _I will find you._


	6. Loss of a Friend

**Chapter 6**

 **Loss of a Friend**

 _Pelican was back in her cell._

 _It was mostly the same, but Startail and Hurricane and Cerise were there too. And the SeaWing guard, the one who was killed, was standing there with Mange and Ocelot._

 _Hybrids are evil! The guard shrieked. And with a terrible_ crack, _he snapped Ocelot's neck._

 _Ocelot! Mange and Salamander screamed. And the SeaWing stood there, and suddenly he was breathing flames and frostbreath and terrible weapons, and the knives were shooting at Mange, and then she collapsed._

 _And Pelican was sobbing._

 _And then Falcon turned to her. This is all your fault! He screamed. Our friends are dead, and it's your fault! I never should have trusted you!_

 _But- but- I didn't do anything! She cried._

 _Yes you did! You're the worst! Treejumper screeched._

 _And then she was engulfed in the flames. The unbearable heat scorched her scales and burned her to a crisp. And she could still here her friends screaming,_

 _It's all your fault!_

 _It's all your fault!_

 _It's all your fault..._

"It's all your fault; it's all your fault," Pelican mumbled, tossing and turning in her sleep.

Morning dawned upon them. Pelican sat up. The sleeping arrangement was uncomfortable, perhaps, but it was better than all those years in the cell. She vaguely remembered having a dream, but not what it was about.

"Breakfast," said Mange briskly, passing out pieces of some dead desert animal. Pelican prodded it carefully with her talon. Was it safe to eat?

She bit down. It tasted slightly salty, but otherwise alright.

"I'm so happy," said Ocelot. "I finally found my brother-"

"Half brother," Mange mumbled-

"And I found out he's not evil, like we all thought," Ocelot finished.

"Um, well, actually," Treejumper said awkwardly.

"We have to go," said Catfish gently.

"But- my sisters-" Salamander looked around, flustered. "I can't leave them... not when I just met them..."

"You can stay," said Iceberg. "We won't blame you. But we have to go... we can't stay anywhere too long."

Falcon's head whipped up. "Someone is coming," he whispered urgently. "We have to go... those don't sound like SandWing talons."

"What are they?" Pelican asked fearfully.

A knock on the door.

"SeaWing talons," said Falcon.

Another knock.

The door slammed open. The tall green SeaWing stood at the door, his eyes full of malicious glee. "Hybrids," he whispered, licking his lips. "We found you at last."

Behind him, two large, burly SeaWings stepped forwards.

Salamander whipped out his tail as quick as a flash. He slashed one of the guards with his tail. He aimed for the heart, but unfortunately, without much practice, he scratched the SeaWing's stomach.

"Run!" He yelled as the SeaWings howled in pain. "Fly away!" He turned to his sisters. "Help me fight, Mange. Ocelot, go with Pelican."

"With me?" Pelican asked, paralyzed with terror.

"Go!"

Pelican took Ocelot's talon in hers, whooshing out the door. She flew straight for the river. Behind her, she could almost feel the green SeaWing breathing down her back.

Pelican dragged Ocelot into the river. "Dive down," she urged.

"I can't breathe underwater!" Ocelot cried, tears streaming down her face.

"Okay, get on my back!" Ocelot clambered onto Pelican's back, and the sea-ice hybrid sagged under her weight. She wasn't much larger than the little SandWing.

Pelican flapped up into the air, just in time to see the green SeaWing pinning Iceberg down. She forgot all thoughts of escape and swooped down to help her friend. She dropped Ocelot on the sand. "Find shelter."

Pelican raced toward her friend. Falcon was already there, his snout bleeding as he knocked the SeaWing off of Iceberg. The SeaWing's eyes closed. He had been knocked out.

Mange and Salamander had knocked out one of the SeaWings. The third was presumably dead.

"Iceberg, Iceberg, are you hurt?" Salamander cried.

Iceberg shook her head. There was a wound at her side and a pool of blood pouring out. "I'll be fine..." she mustered weakly.

She wasn't fine.

"Please, don't die," Pelican begged.

"Iceberg..." Salamander choked.

Bloodspiller, whose wing was bleading heavily, tried to stifle the blood pouring out of Iceberg's side. Blood stained her talons.

Iceberg twisted her head around to look at the dragons.

"Thank you," she whispered softly.

"For what?" Pelican asked through her tears.

"For giving me the best four days of my life," Iceberg whispered. "I never would have survived down in the prisons without you."

"Iceberg, you can't die!" Treejumper yelled.

"Thank you," Iceberg whispered.

The pale blue eyes glazed over, and Iceberg's talon thudded to the ground. She was dead.

.

Pelican wiped her eyes. "How could this happen?" She sobbed. "Iceberg was such a good dragon. She never did anything. She was innocent!"

Treejumper buried her head in her talons.

"I'm sorry about your friend," said Mange gravely, her wing around her little sister. "Are you sure this is the place?"

"Yes," said Salamander. "That should be the boulder right there."

Treejumper put her head up against the rock and knocked five times. _Knock-knock knock knock knock._ A moment later, the boulder shook.

"You're back!" Startail said in surprise. "So soon? It's only been two days!" She peered at the two SandWings. "Who are the new dragons?"

Cerise popped her head out. "And where's the annoying one? The icy one."

"Iceberg is dead," said Pelican, feeling a lump in her throat. "We need your help. They found us- we were foolish with our hiding spot. They found us, and we fought, and Iceberg was killed."

Cerise looked shocked.

"Come in, come in!" Startail cried, beckoning everyone in.

Pelican crawled through the tunnel, entering once again the only home she'd ever known. Hurricane was sitting there.

 _Pelican?_ He flashed. He also signaled a few more things she didn't recognize.

Catfish came out behind her. "He said, 'Pelican? Why are you crying?'" the blue dragon sighed. He looked rueful, as if he wasn't sure whether to answer or let Pelican do it.

"Iceberg is dead," said Pelican, tears dripping down her snout.

Tears are always graceful and pretty in scrolls, Pelican thought. But in my experience, that's almost never true in real life.

"We need shelter," said Treejumper softly. "They won't find us here, it's miles away. You'll be safe."

 _How long has she been dead?_ Hurricane asked shakily.

"A day," replied Catfish quietly. "We came all the way back here. Bloodspiller's been bleeding, though, so we couldn't fly."

Bloodspiller nodded. Her normally flushed face looked pale. Even her scales seemed pasty.

"Three moons, we need to get her some bandages!" Startail cried, leaping up at once and disappearing into one of the caves. "Minimize the blood loss!"

"What happened to the guards?" Cerise asked gruffly.

"I killed one of them," said Salamander softly. "With my tail." He looked as if he weren't quite used to the prospect of using his tail as a weapon. "Mange knocked another one out, and Falcon knocked out the leader."

Falcon bowed his head. The scratch on his snout was the only sign that he'd been fighting. Salamander had a few scratches down his back and Mange was a bit bruised.

"So who are the SandWings?" Cerise pushed further.

"They're my sisters," said Salamander proudly, pulling them close. "Half-sisters, anyway. We found them and they gave us shelter. But the Hybrid Hunters... they found us."

 _That's terrible,_ Hurricane flashed sadly.

Pelican felt something in her heart. It was like the loss of Iceberg was falling on her like a ton of bricks. It was like when she hadn't been there, she didn't need it, but once she was gone... she couldn't live without it.

Pelican bowed her head. Her body was shaking and she felt like she was about to throw up.

Nothing would ever be the same.


	7. Changing

**Chapter 7**

 **Changing**

It had been two weeks since Iceberg's death. The hybrids remained in hiding, but with each day, Pelican grew more apprehensive, like there was a bomb inside her heart going _tick- tick- tick_ and it would go off soon, but she didn't know when.

Bloodspiller sat slumped against one wall, Treejumper sitting in her lap. Catfish sat on their right. To their left sat Falcon, Pelican, and Salamander.

On the opposite side, Startail and Cerise sat on the right of the tunnel entrance. Hurricane and Mange sat on the left. Ocelot was curled up in the coil of Mange's tail.

For a moment, they just sat there, the hybrids and the outcasts, their faces shadowy masks, longing with questions but not knowing how to say them, until someone broke the silence.

"We have to leave," said Pelican.

"But we can't!" Bloodspiller cried, distressed.

"We'll be caught for sure," Treejumper fretted.

"I'm with Pelican," said Falcon firmly. "We've been trespassing upon these dragons' space for far too long. We can't stay here, trapped and cramped like a bunch of lizards! I escaped with the hope of _freedom._ This isn't freedom!

"This is as bad as the prison!" Falcon continued. "I'd rather be free and then be caught than be safe here. We need to give these dragons some space."

"Hear, hear," said Mange.

So they put it to a vote: Mange, Falcon, Pelican, and Salamander thought they should go; Catfish, Treejumper, and Ocelot wanted to play it safe.

"Really, Pelican," said Bloodspiller, squinting. "I didn't think you would be the type to go all dangerous."

"I'm not," said Pelican uncomfortably. "I just- I have a really bad feeling about staying here. Aren't we endangering our friends?"

"Why are they hiding anyway?" Ocelot asked curiously.

"We were banished from our own kingdoms," said Startail sadly. Pelican looked from Startail's deformed wing to Cerise's crooked tail.

"But what happened to your wing?" Ocelot questioned.

"Ocelot, that's _rude!_ " Mange hissed, shrugging her shoulders frustratedly. Pale yellow scales rose and fell like the shifting sands.

"I'm afraid I couldn't say," said Startail, looking uncomfortable. "NightWing secrets, you know..." She paused, a flicker of doubt shadowing her face for a moment.

Pelican was silent. In her opinion, it kind of looked like a lava burn. Not that she had any idea what that looked like, but... was the secret NightWing home near some kind of volcano? Obviously Treejumper didn't know, because she'd been raised in a cave, and Bloodspiller had said she didn't know either.

"But we're getting off track here," said Falcon impatiently, narrowing his eyes. "We need to find a good place to hide."

"We can't go back to the Sand Kingdom," said Mange regretfully.

"And the Sky Kingdom is too close to our prison," said Salamander.

 _The SeaWings?_ Hurricane asked.

"Most of the Hybrid Hunters _are_ SeaWings," said Pelican, shaking her head. "And Catfish and I are the only ones who can breathe underwater."

"Can Salamander hold his breath for an hour?" Ocelot asked suddenly. "Totally irrelevant, but I kinda want to know."

"I'd rather not test it," said Salamander, shrugging his shoulders.

" _Any_ way," said Falcon, "I think we should go to the rainforest. I know, for some of us it'll be totally horrible, but it offers a lot of protection, as long as we stay away from the RainWings."

"That does make sense," said Pelican, nodding.

"Let's put it to a vote," said Bloodspiller for a second time that day. "All in favor of going to the rainforest- say 'I'."

"I," said Pelican, Falcon, Catfish, Mange, Ocelot, Treejumper, and Salamander.

Bloodspiller paused. "I say we go, because that's what Iceberg would have us do."

.

The sun was setting. This was the time of day that Bloodspiller always marked a tally on the prison wall. Pelican saw the crimson dragon's talons twitch.

"Day 1,000," said Bloodspiller quietly. She looked around. "Guys, today would have been day 1,000."

Pelican didn't know why this felt so special. It wasn't _her_ one thousandth day since capture. That was Bloodspiller. But yet something felt important.

She looked up at the three moons in the sky- one gibbous, two half moons. They shone down on her with a light that reflected off her scales with a silvery tint.

"Wow, Pelican, your scales are the color of the moon," said Treejumper. "You should tell dragons you're a MoonWing."

Pelican looked down at her scales in surprise. She smiled. "And you should tell dragons that you're a... a LeafWing."

Treejumper giggled. Ocelot sloshed through the wet grass to join them. "Salamander could be a QuicksandWing," Ocelot suggested.

"Gosh, that's good," Treejumper reflected. "'Cause it's like muddy sand. And Bloodspiller can be a BloodWing."

"Yeah," said Ocelot. "And Falcon can be a MountainWing."

"Oh, because, like, the high altitudes are SkyWing, and they're cold!" said Ocelot. "Imagine a SandWing/SeaWing hybrid. They could be a BeachWing!"

Treejumper burst into giggles.

"A SeaWing/MudWing hybrid could be a SwampWing," Pelican said thoughtfully. "And a NightWing/ SeaWing could be a DeepWing."

"Hey, that's right!" said Ocelot excitedly. "You're really good at these, Pelican!"

Pelican looked down at the tiny dragonet with a shy smile. She still hadn't forgiven herself for abandoning the little SandWing during Iceberg's attack, but Ocelot didn't seem to hold any grudges.

"A RainWing/SeaWing could be a GreenWing," said Treejumper.

"Or a BlueWing," said Ocelot.

"Ooh, a SandWing/NightWing!" said Treejumper.

As the little dragonets continued coming up with hybrid tribe names, Pelican slowed to the back of the group. They had reached a sort of swampland. It had only been a day, but she missed her friends already. The only problem was, every time she thought of them, she came up with more questions.

 _Why were they banished from their tribes?_

 _Why were they in hiding?_

 _What secrets are the NightWings hiding?_

Pelican looked around. If Iceberg were here, she'd be complaining about the wet muck and excitedly looking forwards to reaching the rainforest. Iceberg was always such a good puzzle solver. If Iceberg were here, she would have solved these mysteries already.

"What's the matter?" Bloodspiller asked softly, walking up next to her.

"There's just so much uncertainty," Pelican confessed. "I'm starting to doubt... I'm starting to doubt if hybrids can ever be free."

She looked down at her talons. "I mean, would you rather be free for one day if it meant being trapped for the rest of your life, or be semi-free your whole life?

"And what if freedom comes at the expense of others' safety, not just your own? Think of all the people we've endangered. Catfish, Mange and Ocelot... Startail, Cerise, and Hurricane. Can we ever be truly free?"

"Wow," said Bloodspiller. "That was _deep,_ Pelican."

"Not really," said Pelican uncomfortably.

"Look, the rainforest is within sight," Falcon called out suddenly. It was true. Pelican spotted a few straggly mangroves on the horizon, leading into a majestic jungle.

"Good thing," said Pelican. "I'm getting apprehensive just being out in the wide open. Anyone could see us from above."

"I love it," said Salamander. "Wide-open, free, and muddy!" He paused for a moment. "And it's dark," he pointed out. "Nobody could see us."

"Maybe they couldn't see you, but me?" Pelican shrugged her shoulders doubtfully as she trudged forwards. "My scales are as bright as the moon. Anyone could see me."

"Well, we're almost to the rainforest anyway," said Falcon as the rainforest drew nearer. "So there's no need to argue."

"No need to argue?" Pelican teased. "What happened to the fierce dragon who intimidated our prison guard for fun?"

"He deserved it," Falcon protested.

Pelican had said it in a joking tone, but she knew it was true. All of the dragons had changed since the escape. Bloodspiller had become even quieter, if that was possible, while Treejumper had become more playful and friendly. Salamander had become less gruff after meeting his sisters, and Falcon had lightened up, too.

But what about her? Had she changed, too?

Pelican didn't know, but she didn't know that she wanted to.

.

This whole thing had been a disaster, the green dragon thought. Tidal had been killed by that SandWing/MudWing freak, and Wave had been seriously injured with a skull fracture and a broken wing.

The hybrids had gotten away this time, but they wouldn't be so lucky next time.

Of course they couldn't have gotten far. Wherever they were, they were surely grieving. He had wounded that iridescent dragon. He knew she wouldn't survive.

He landed with a _whoosh_ on the ground. It was a small forest, not too far away from where the SandWings had been found. But there were no talonprints anywhere; no signs that the hybrids might have been there.

He had to find them. All of Pyrrhia was in an uproar. They couldn't allow the hybrids to get away with this. Queen Vigilance had made a mistake 1,000 years ago by not locking the Darkstalker away, and look what had happened to the NightWings! They had disappeared forever.

Hybrids were dangerous. They were seriously unstable, and they needed to be locked away before they could do any more harm.

The hybrids clearly hadn't been here. He had to find another place to look.

 _Where would they go?_ Not the Sky Kingdom; that was too close to their prison. The Ice Kingdom would be too cold. They wouldn't risk going back to the Kingdom of Sand, would they?

Maybe the Mud Kingdom?

The green dragon narrowed his eyes. _Come out, come out, wherever you are,_ he thought, hissing softly.

 _Wherever you are, I will find you._


	8. Another Hiding Place

**Chapter 8**

 **Another Hiding Place**

The green dragon hissed softly. The mud was crawling up his scales, and the swamp was filled with bugs and insects that chirped in a horrifyingly disgusting way. _Who would want to live here?_

"Yes, they're here," he hissed at the MudWing. He wanted to slap him upside the head. This dragon was terrifyingly arrogant for a MudWing, and he didn't seem like the sharpest claw on the dragon, either. "There'll be a SeaWing, two SandWings, one MudWing-looking thing, one SkyWing-looking-thing, one RainWing-looking thing-"

"I assure you, we have not seen any of those things," said the MudWing.

"Do you know who I am?" The green SeaWing asked haughtily. "I'm the leader of the HES!" The MudWing looked blank. "The Hybrid Extermination System! I organized the Hybrid Hunts!"

"I can see that," said the MudWing calmly. "But I still don't know where these dragons are that you're looking for."

The green SeaWing exhaled sharply. This was getting him nowhere.

.

"Pelican!

"Pelican, wake up!"

Pelican sat up, rubbing her eyes. "What's wrong, guys?" She asked groggily. Everyone was staring down at her. "What time is it? I have to go back to bed..."

"Pelican, it's noon," said Falcon. The intensity in his voice made her jump.

"Noon?" Pelican's eyes widened. "I didn't wake up?" A feeling of despair crawled through her heart, eating a hole of worry away at it. She touched her head. "I think I dreamed something."

"You were muttering something," Salamander said. His face clouded. "I couldn't make it out, though... something about a SeaWing?"

Pelican looked away. She'd started having dreams of her parents. They left her trembling and longing for the past. Her blood went cold at the thought. She had never had these dreams before. She didn't want to tell her friends, though. They might not understand.

"I'm fine, guys," she said. "I'm just tired. We had a long day, you know? A lot of traveling."

"Want a fruit?" Treejumper asked, holding up a large pink citrus fruit for Pelican to see.

"Sure," Pelican shrugged. Treejumper tossed her the fruit and she caught it, clumsily slicing it through with her talons. Pinkish juice squirted across her talons.

She licked them. The juice was sour and sweet at the same time, with some sort of warmth to it that somehow spread through her body.

"This is really good," said Pelican, sucking on a slice. She looked around. "Where are Salamander and Bloodspiller?"

"I know, right? I'm calling it dragon-citrus," said Treejumper. She shrugged her shoulders carelessly. "Salamander and Bloodspiller went to collect reeds from the swamp to make hammocks."

"Wait, what?" Pelican asked, alarmed. "Is that safe?"

"Relax," said Catfish gently. "Mange and Ocelot are with them, too, and they know how to fight better than any of us do."

 _You probably could fight,_ Pelican thought silently. What was he hiding? What had made him so anxious and nervous? Was it turning in Treejumper, or more?

 _Oh, Pelican, you brainless thing_ , she thought. _They killed his parents! They killed his parents and that's why he joined the Hybrid Hunters!_

 _Just like they killed mine._

"What about Falcon?" She said instead. "He's a strong fighter. Why not take him?"

Falcon shifted from talon to talon. "I thought I should stay behind and make sure you were okay," he said. "Someone who's sleeping is the least defenseless of all of us."

Pelican was slightly flattered and slightly offended.

"Hey, look, there's Salamander," Treejumper pointed out. Sure enough, she could see Salamander trekking towards them, Bloodspiller and Ocelot close behind. Mange was in the rear. They all held handfuls of reeds.

"Let me take those for you," said Treejumper, holding her arms out to Salamander.

"Thanks," said Salamander, piling the reeds into Treejumper's arms. She deposited them on the ground and begun weaving.

"Pelican finally woke up," said Bloodspiller, dropping the reeds into Treejumper's pile. "You okay, Pellie?"

Pelican flinched at the nickname. Her father used to call her Pellie. "Um, yeah, I'm fine," she said, ducking her head.

"Good," said Mange, sitting down on the forest floor. "Are you sure this is the rainforest? It's not raining, and I don't see any toucans or monkeys or anything."

"Well, it's not that far into the rainforest, that's for sure," said Bloodspiller. "We don't want to run the risk of running into any RainWings."

"RainWings?" Salamander looked dubious. "I doubt they pose much of a threat. I mean, hiding in the rainforest? That sounds pretty cowardly to me."

"They're more dangerous than you think," Treejumper hissed defensively.

 _What happened to that scared little dragonet who hardly ever spoke?_ Pelican wondered. _How can a dragon change so much in so little time?_

"It may sound cowardly, but they have lots and lots of food, a huge area of land, and natural barriers to keep themselves safe," Treejumper continued. Sounds like paradise to me."

"That's becuase you're part RainWing," Salamander pointed out. "Me? SandWings are wide-open-desert kinds of dragons, and MudWings like the swamps. Flat land for me."

"I say mountains any day," said Bloodspiller.

"The ocean for me," said Pelican, thinking of the way she and her mother used to plunge into the cold, freezing depths of the ocean. Her father would look on, smiling.

Her mother never liked the freezing cold in their home, and her father hated how wet it was. But they both agreed that it was the best place to raise Pelican, who loved both the water and the cold.

Her heart ached. What would she do to live one more day with them! What would she do to see them just one more time? What if the hybrid hunts never existed?

She looked around. But what would become of the hybrids? She never would have met them. Catfish and Treejumper would have never met.

 _Iceberg would still be alive,_ whispered a small part of her mind.

She locked eyes with Falcon. As the yellow eyes met the lilac ones, a small, dark, treacherous part of her brain said it wouldn't be worth it if she had never met him.

But would they all be happier without the hunts? She thought of Salamander, happily playing with Mange and Ocelot. She thought of her old, innocent self, playing with her parents. She thought of Falcon, less weathered and tired.

 _That Falcon doesn't sound like a Falcon worth knowing._

 _Or that Salamander._

 _What would I be like?_

Or, for that matter, what would she be like if she was still in prison? What if Treejumper had never been caught, the old guard never killed?

 _I would probably go mad_ , she answered herself honestly.

"Pelican," said Bloodspiller abruptly, pulling her back into the present. "You're getting lost in your thoughts again."

Pelican sighed.

"Ocelot, dragon-citrus?" Treejumper asked, showing the sandy pale dragonet a large pink fruit.

"No thanks," said Ocelot, wrinkling her snout. "I'm a lizard person, myself."

"Suit yourself," said Treejumper, slicing neatly through the dragon-citrus. Pelican envied the expert way she did it, as if it was just natural. _RainWing instincts? Or was it something she did a lot back in hiding, slicing fruit?_

Ocelot leaned down, peering at the hammock Treejumper was weaving. "I can help weave, if you want me too, though."

"Sure," said Treejumper, sucking on the fruit.

Ocelot grabbed a few reeds and started weaving.

"We should go hunting sometime," said Falcon, who didn't care for the dragon-citruses either. "I can hear some birds, and there's a waterfall not too far away where we can get water."

"Good," said Pelican. "I'm so thirsty." Her throat was parched and dry, like sandpaper on her tongue. She hadn't had water for about a day.

"Want to come with me?" Falcon cocked his head. "Ocelot, you should come too. We met you guys when you were collecting water, remember?"

It seemed so long ago.

"Yeah, I would like to go," said Ocelot, brightening. She sat down the hammock she was making, a net of crisscrosses and tangles. "I'm no good at this hammock-making anyway."

"We have to find something to collect it in, though," Falcon said thoughtfully.

"I can make a basket," Treejumper offered. "I wove a lot back in hiding." She held up the hammock she was weaving, which was beginning to look a bit like a hammock.

"We should find something to eat, though," said Falcon. "It's past lunchtime."

"Lunchtime," said Pelican wistfully. They had never had lunch back in the prison. It was one meal a day, breakfast or dinner. They'd only ever heard the word from the guard, who would complain from time to time.

("They don't give me enough money for feeding you," he'd griped once. "You're a real chore, you are. They should at least give me a longer lunch break, for the moons' sake!")

"What should we hunt?" Mange asked curiously. "Don't bring back any toucans."

"I don't exactly know how to hunt," Falcon admitted.

"I might," said Pelican. "I mean, I used to hunt. But I haven't done it in so long… I'm not sure exactly if I could still…"

"That's okay," Mange reassured. "We'll all learn. We'll learn and adapt to our environment. That's something dragons can do, right?"

"Yeah," said Falcon. He brushed Pelican's wing lightly with his. "We just have to make this our home."


	9. Scars

**Chapter 9**

 **Scars**

Pelican lay in her hammock, the breeze slowly rocking the green cocoon.

Treejumper was nearly finished with the hammocks. She had already made six and was halfway through the seventh. They'd made it work with six hammocks the night before- Mange and Ocelot shared a hammock, and Treejumper slept with Pelican.

Pelican watched Treejumper weave the hammocks and admired the skill in which she did so. If Pelican were to try something like that, she'd surely bungle it up.

"Pelican!" Falcon yelled from the other side of the forest. "Come hunting with me and Bloodspiller?"

"Sure," said Pelican, climbing out of her hammock and heading towards Falcon and Bloodspiller. Treejumper and Ocelot had, together, created a large pot for collecting water out of clay. Bloodspiller sat on the ground, watching it dry in the sun.

"We just have to wait for it to dry, and we can collect some water," said Falcon, noticing Pelican's gaze.

"Let's go find that waterfall," said Pelican thoughtfully. "There's sure to be prey there. All living things need a water source."

"Yes, that's smart," said Bloodspiller, heaving herself up off the ground.

"Let's go find the waterfall, then," said Falcon, closing up the discussion. He rubbed his scarred talons together in anticipation.

Pelican stared at the scars. She'd often wondered where they had come from, but had thought it rude to ask.

Bloodspiller followed after Falcon, pulling Pelican out of her thoughts. She followed them, rubbing her own talons as if they, too, might be scarred.

 _I may not have any physical scars,_ Pelican thought, _but I certainly have emotional ones._

 _Mother._

 _Father._

 _And now Iceberg._

Pelican's heart still hurt and her eyes still burned at the corners whenever she thought of the cheery IceWing/RainWing dragon. She had never really taken a minute to completely appreciate her, and now she was gone, and it was too late to tell her how much she admired her.

What were the last words she had spoken to Iceberg...? Pelican couldn't remember.

"Stop," Falcon whispered suddenly, his diamond-shaped head snapping up the way it always did when he heard something. "Freeze."

Pelican stopped in her tracks. Falcon took a step forward, crept up...

And snatched a bird right out of the air. He grasped it tightly for a moment while the bird scratched and squirmed, and then he leaned forward and snapped its neck.

"Wow," said Bloodspiller. "You're a natural hunter."

"Oourg," Falcon shuddered, passing the bird to Bloodspiller. "I never want to do that again." His talons were covered in blood and for a moment, Pelican couldn't tell if the blood was the bird's or his own, from the bird's talons scratching him. But then she saw the blood still oozing from the scratch on his snout- the scratch from the fight in the Kingdom of Sand- and remembered that his blood was purple.

It was odd, Pelican thought, that his blood would be purple. It wasn't a bright purple- it was more of a blackberry- but it was nonetheless purple. IceWings had blue blood, and SkyWings had red blood, so his blood would likely have been either of the two. How odd that they'd merge and form purple blood.

Pelican shuddered. It felt horrible to think of blood like paints, where you could just mix them together and they'd form a new color. Pelican looked down at her own talons. She'd rarely ever seen her own blood- only that time when she'd scratched her tail on one of the food bones from dinner, and when her wrists had bled from the taloncuffs.

"I don't know if we can eat this," said Bloodspiller, examining the bird. "It's all feathery."

"We're used to eating all-feathery things," said Pelican, remembering the day Treejumper had first come in, that day that she'd finally gotten breakfast, that day that everything had changed.

"Maybe we can catch some fish," said Falcon.

"Do you even like fish?" Bloodspiller asked, wrinkling her snout.

"I haven't tried it in a long time," Falcon shrugged. "Things might have changed."

Pelican was inspired by Falcon's immediate instinct to adapt to his environment. _The amazing things dragons can do,_ she thought to herself.

"We should bring this bird-thing anyway," said Bloodspiller, plucking out a talonful of feathers from the corpse. "Maybe the others will like it."

Pelican crouched low and waded into the water, her eye on a fat silver fish.

"Pelican, what are you doing?" Bloodspiller asked.

"Shh," Pelican whispered, her talon to her lips. She crouched low, the clear, pure water lapping at her sides, and reached out. With one quick movement, she speared the fish.

"Wow!" Falcon cried. "That was amazing!"

Pelican handed the fish to Bloodspiller, who piled it up on top of the bird. "It was nothing," she said modestly. "I used to watch my mother do it all the time. Trust me, I'm probably hopeless at hunting on land."

"Food is food," said Falcon. "Can you teach me?"

"Sure," Pelican shrugged.

"I'll go bring back the prey," said Bloodspiller, "and then I can help you." She paused for a second. "And the water-bucket should be dry by now. I'll get that, too."

"Okay," said Pelican. "Thanks."

As Bloodspiller started walking away, Pelican suddenly remembered how thirsty she was. She leaned over and cupped her talons. The water quickly drained out as she brought it to her lips, but she was quick enough to get a taste. The water was clean and pure, unlike the murky water the old guard used to bring them to drink.

"So," said Pelican nervously, suddenly aware of how her heart was beating loudly in her chest, "you have to be very still. If you move too much, you'll scare the fish away." She looked around and saw a small gray-pink minnow swimming towards her. "Keep your eye on the fish, and when it comes close," she reached out, "you spear it with your talon."

Pelican grasped the lifeless minnow in her talons. She followed Falcon's serious yellow eyes to a little orange fish swimming by. It took a moment, but when it came close, he snatched it up in his talons.

"Wow!" Pelican cried. "That was great!"

Falcon looked down at the orange fish. "That was a lot easier than hunting for the bird," he said. "The bird was all wriggly and squirmy."

Pelican shuddered, imagining the bird scraping at her with its sharp, gleaming yellow talons. Not a pleasant image. "Let's catch more."

Falcon looked at her with a sideways smile, the one that made Pelican feel happy and sad and angry and pleased all at the same time.

.

The green SeaWing crept through the forest, accompanied by two burly, fierce-looking SeaWings. This was where the river led. The hybrids could have easily hidden here.

The forest was dense and green. He hated it here. It was so cramped, you could easily bump into anything. He couldn't see squat what with the trees and shrubbery everywhere.

But suddenly the forest seemed to come to an end. Rocks piled up as far as the eye could see, steadily building up to a mountain.

He looked around, and his eye caught on a large, mossy stone. It was in a very unnatural sort of position.

The green dragon dropped to the ground and put his ear to the boulder, not really believing he'd hear something. But to his surprise, he could just make out a few muffled voices.

 _The hybrids!_ he thought.

"Come on, boys," said the green dragon to his colleagues. "Roll this boulder aside for me."

The taller of the two squatted, heaving the large boulder over to reveal a small tunnel. Aha! he thought. It was too small for him to crawl into. He would have to lure the hybrids out somehow.

He peered through the tunnel, and, to his shock, did not see the hybrids. It was just three dragons- a SkyWing, a NightWing, and a SeaWing.

"Step back," he warned quietly.

The burly guards stepped well away.

"And pick up the boulder."

The second guard lifted the boulder easily, and without discomfort, heaved it onto his back. The green dragon leaned over and looked in through the tunnel. The dragons inside had ceased talking.

"You there," he called, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "Come out of here with your talons up, or my colleague here will drop this boulder and cave the whole place in."


	10. Back at the Beginning

**Chapter 10**

 **Back at the Beginning**

Pelican didn't know what had happened. One day, she was just sitting there, relaxing with her friends. The next, she felt a large boulder slamming against her skull and she crumpled to the ground.

Pelican blinked awake. They were in prison again, but a different prison. The walls were hard, the prison was cramped... and most horrible, Startail lay huddled, weeping, in the cell across from hers.

"I'm sorry!" she wailed, looking up with bloodshot red eyes. A long, ugly red mark slashed across her neck. "I tried, I tried... they hurt me! They were going to kill me!"

"It's okay, it's okay!" Bloodspiller soothed from the cell to Startail's right. "I know, I know... we're so sorry, Startail. We didn't know... we didn't want you to get hurt..."

No matter Bloodspiller's wishes, their three friends had come out of the whole ordeal looking very much so as if they'd been in a particularly fierce battle. Cerise had a long line of purplish bruises down her spine; Startail had a slash across her neck; Hurricane had tiny, still-bleeding scratches all across his body, as if he'd been pelted with shards of broken glass.

 _At least they're all alive,_ thought Pelican, the image of Iceberg's corpse swimming through her head. Deep blue blood, still pouring out of a lifeless body...

She turned around to the cell next to her, the one Falcon was in. "Falcon," she whispered, as if afraid to say it too loud, "We're right back where we began."

"No," said Falcon, reaching through the bars to take Pelican's talons in his. "No, we're not. We know what it's like to be free. We know how to escape. We have new friends..." he looked around at Cerise, Startail, Hurricane, Mange, and Ocelot. "And we _will_ escape. We've done it once. We can do it again."

"I don't know about that," Pelican said. This prison looked a lot harder to break out of than the old one. The cell bars were extremely thick, and even if they managed to get out of their cells, a guard sat constantly outside the door just in case.

"Yes," said Falcon, his voice quivering as he tried to meet Pelican's eyes.

Pelican turned around to look through the cell window. She couldn't decide if new windows were an upside or a downside. She had a sliver of the world to look at... but it almost seemed to taunt her, saying, _"I'm just a little bit away... so close you could reach out and take me in your talon..."_

The sun was setting; as if on cue, a loud, scraping noise came from Bloodspiller's cell. Some of the new prisoners jumped out of their skins, but Pelican was, by now, used to it.

Bloodspiller was marking her cell.

 _Day one._

Pelican curled up, her tail resting on her snout. A silent tear fell. All that had happened... she'd finally gotten a chance to be free... Salamander found his half-sisters... Iceberg had died...

It had been merely a month, and so much had changed. Six new dragons lay in their prison. One of them had disappeared. And there was a new feeling lodged in her heart, a feeling that told her she'd been selfish. She'd been selfish to think that life was horrible in her prison. She thought of Mange and Ocelot, halfway across the continent, struggling to live life without their parents. And of Iceberg, losing her life just trying to be free.

Suddenly she felt angry. "How could they do this?" she cried, lifting her head.

"What?" Falcon turned around to look at Pelican.

"How could they do this?" Pelican repeated, blinking rapidly. "They killed her! They killed her, and she was just trying to survive! She just wanted a chance at freedom! And they killed her!"

She looked around at Cerise and Startail and Hurricane. Through their tired faces and bruises and scratches, their eyes had a tint of bravery Pelican had never noticed before. "And they were going to kill you too! Just because you were friends with us! They tortured you, and you still kept from them our location!"

She shook her head. "What kind of dragons are they that they could be this cruel?"

Falcon blinked. His yellow eyes glinted through the murky darkness. "Pelican, we will escape," he rasped.

Pelican shook her head again. "But what is the cost of freedom?" she asked. "Will it mean that we lose our lives? Just for a little fresh air? Is it worth endangering everyone we know, just to be free?"Her lilac eyes were glazed over with tears.

 _Because..._ she thought silently, a lump forming in her throat, _Because I'd rather be stuck here forever if freedom meant losing you._

.

The green dragon plunged into the water. Blood floated off his scales, tinting the water red.

Just a few feet away, a large, burly dragon with muddled blue scales was flashing his scales. _Eel! Eel!_ he flashed, the lights flashing dimly in the water.

The green dragon swam forwards. _All is well. The hybrids are_ _back in prison,_ he reported. _Along with a few of their little traitor friends._

 _Excellent,_ said the blue dragon. _All of Pyrrhia is in a panic. Queen Dragonbite, especially, is struggling to contain her subjects. It's disorder everywhere!_

 _You can tell them all is restored, then._

 _This can't happen again, Eel,_ the blue dragon warned. _Stonefish is_ not _very happy with you. Are you sure they're securely in their prison?_

 _Yes, yes, they're fine,_ Eel said, rolling his eyes. _And it's not my fault they escaped. That idiot was supposed to guard them! He spent most of his time eating all their food and napping. 'Do they really need food?' he asked. 'They got along fine without any'. They got along fine without any... eat my tail!_

 _He was killed, correct?_ the blue dragon asked, looking amused.

 _Of course!_ Eel laughed. _What do you think I am, a softie?_

 _I dunno..._ the blue dragon turned away. _I should probably get going. I mean... Stonefish isn't very happy with you right now,_ he repeated. _I don't really want to be seen with someone..._

Eel's eyes burned. _It is NOT my fault about the hybrids!_ he roared.

 _Umm..._ the blue dragonbacked up.

This dragon was getting infuriating. Eel swooped forwards and snapped his neck.

Blood clouded the water. Eel lurched up out of the water, shaking his head. Blood flew out. He coughed; blood was stuck in his gills. Maybe killing underwater was not such a good idea.

He spread his wings and leapt into the sky, not even looking back.

 _What's one death here or there?_ he thought. _It's all for the greater good._


	11. Trial

**Chapter 11**

 **Trial**

For days, Pelican had nothing more to do than to wonder what they were going to do to punish her for escaping. Gruesome thoughts filled her head. Yet days, weeks, passed by and she remained in her cell.

She had just started to think she was safe when it started happening. It was a normal day. There was nothing more ordinary that could have been going on. They were talking, hanging out, and generally doing nothing when she heard the _flap-flap-flap_ of SeaWing talonsteps.

A thin dark blue SeaWing walked into their prison. Pelican became all too aware of the string of keys around his belt. _He's- he's letting us free?_

But the only dragon the blue SeaWing unlocked was Bloodspiller. Right before he did, he leaned forward and whispered to her, "I have guards swarming outside this door. If you so much as look at the exit to this place you'll be dead in a heartbeat. If you want to live, come with me."

So Bloodspiller followed, giving one last terrified glance at the dragons as the SeaWing pulled her roughly away. Pelican sat in silence, watching the crimson dragon leave.

She never came back.

The next day at noon, Salamander was taken, this time a bit less gently. "I'll get you," Salamander snarled, struggling in the grip of several SeaWings. "I'll stab you with my tail-"

"Shut it if you want to live," said one of the dragons, looking down at Salamander's heavily clamped tail.

"They're taking us one by one to kill us," said Falcon the next day, after Treejumper was taken. The sun was setting. "This is how they're punishing us. They're giving us a day to mourn, and then our grief starts fresh." He lashed his tail on the ground. "I hope mine's quick."

 _Quick and painless,_ Pelican thought hopelessly. Somehow she didn't think that would happen. "I hope so."

Pelican laid her head down and fell into a fretful sleep.

The next day, Falcon was taken.

Pelican felt a lump in her throat as the guards dragged him away. She clenched her teeth, fighting not to cry out. _If I do, they'll kill me,_ she thought. _Oh, what does it matter?_ She lashed her tail furiously. _I'm going to die anyway._

As the guards reached the gate, Falcon whirled around and gave Pelican a last, horrified glance.

"Get going, hybrid," a guard snarled, pulling Falcon forwards, and the pale orange dragon disappeared behind the corner. Pelican felt as if she was choking. Her eyes were wet. All of the dragons she had grown up with were gone.

And her friends? She looked around at the only dragons who'd been kind enough to help her. Now, because of their generosity, they were in prison, too.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to Mange and Ocelot. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Pelican," said Mange, her tail twined around her sister's. "We weren't in any better a situation there than we are here. And I'd rather be here knowing who my brother is-"

"Half brother," Cerise muttered-

"My half brother," Mange corrected herself, "Knowing who my half brother is than being on the other side of the continent, oblivious to the fact that his life was in danger."

"I'm going to be taken tomorrow," Pelican said quietly. "I'm sorry, guys. I've failed you."

"No, you haven't!" Ocelot and Startail cried at the same time.

"It's not your fault," said Catfish. He'd been extremely quiet since Treejumper had been taken. "But, Pelican- if- if you see Treejumper, tell her I- tell her I-"

Pelican looked down.

"Tell her I'm sorry," Catfish said, his voice cracking. "Tell her it's all my fault she's in this danger. Tell her I miss her. If she's not- if she's not-" he blinked, clearly not able to say the word _dead._

"I will," Pelican promised.

"And tell Salamander we love him," said Mange, looking down at Ocelot's worried face.

"I will," Pelican repeated.

Cerise looked up. "When you see Iceberg, tell her I'm sorry for complaining about her."

Pelican was silent. She knew _when_ _you see Iceberg_ meant _when you die._

"You mean _if,_ " said Startail, looking up at Cerise with big green eyes. "Pelican, you can still survive. I know you can. Try to survive, for me."

"For Treejumper," said Catfish.

"For Salamander," Ocelot whispered.

"For Iceberg," Cerise rasped.

Hurricane flashed his scales. Pelican had seen them before.

 _Good luck, Pelican._

 _._

The dragons pulled her out of her prison, guiding her down a long hallway. She looked around desperately for any sign of her friends, or any doorway to escape from, but there was nothing.

"What are you going to do to me?" Pelican whimpered.

"Quiet, hybrid," one of the guards snarled. "Let's think of it this way- if you're quiet, your death might be quick and painless. If you speak, it will hurt. A _lot._ "

Pelican clamped her mouth shut.

As they walked down the hall, she began to notice that a lot of dragons were carrying what looked like a lot of sharp, white sticks in stretchers. She peered closer. Her stomach gave a sickening lurch and she wished she hadn't. They weren't sticks.

They were dragon bones.

Pelican felt her talons tremble. She had broken into a cold sweat. In her mind, each dragon skull was that of Falcon, each tail bone that passed by Bloodspiller's. Her brain swarmed with gruesome images of her friend's mangled bodies.

 _That's going to be me,_ Pelican realized.

"Stand still," the guards barked.

Pelican didn't think to disobey until she saw the club one of the guards swung down upon her head. She felt a burst of pain as the club swooped against her skull with a sickening _crack!_

Pelican lifted her talons to her head. Everything was spinning around her. Why did everything sound so... far away? Was it all... fading... away...

 _Hold on, Iceberg,_ she thought. _I'm coming._

.

Pelican's vision was fuzzy.

 _I'm not dead,_ she thought. _I'm not dead!_ Her head throbbed like crazy, but she wasn't dead! Instead, she was trapped in... another prison.

The prison was a tall ledge. Stalactites hung down from the ceiling, creating bars around her. A length of chain wrapped around her neck, the other end melted into the wall.

She peered through, looking for any sign of her friends, but all she saw was a large emerald green dragon in a cell like hers. "Hello?" she called out. Her voice was dusty with misuse. How long had she been out?

"Are you Pelican?" asked the emerald green dragon.

"How- how do you know my name?" Pelican asked fearfully. "Do you know where my friends are?"

"If your friends are a large, burly MudWing-looking thing, a dark bloodred SkyWing, and a pale SkyWing-y thing, then..." the emerald green dragon stopped.

"Yes!" Pelican cried. "Are they okay? Where are they?"

"They used to be here," the emerald SeaWing said. "And by the moons, that pale dragon with the orange scales would _not_ shut up about you."

Pelican felt her cheeks get hot. "What did he say?" she asked curiously.

"Pelican won't survive! She'll never make it! She can't! Yadda yadda yadda." The SeaWing made her voice gruff and harsh, a startlingly good impression of Falcon.

"Where is he? Where are they?" Pelican asked desperately. She was a bit hurt that Falcon didn't think she could survive. On the other talon, it was nice that he'd thought of her.

"They left," said the emerald green SeaWing apologetically. "Sorry."

"Where did they go?" Pelican asked urgently.

"Every day, they get taken through there." The emerald dragon pointed a talon downwards, at a large boulder, presumably blocking the dragons from prison. "I think it's some kind of trial."

"A trial?" Pelican asked. "Like, if they vote in favor of you, then you go free?"

 _Free._ Months ago, that word had seemed so far away. Then it was something that they'd achieved. Now... it was even further away than it had been to begin with. Just living sounded good to her.

"Yep."

"And why are you here?" Pelican pushed. "You don't get taken?"

"No," the SeaWing said dryly. Pelican opened her mouth to speak, but the emerald dragon held up her talon. "And before you ask, I don't know why. Probably to be the mad prophet of doom."

"Um..." Pelican bit her lip. "But why are you in prison?"

The SeaWing shrugged. "Long story, not important. It happened a long time ago, anyway. It's ancient history." Pelican knew better than to push it.

"So this is a trial?" Pelican repeated.

"I assume so." The SeaWing blinked with calm green eyes.

Pelican felt a shiver run down her spine. A new chance to prove her innocence. If she could convince them, she might have a chance at living.

If not...

She would join Iceberg.


	12. Old Memories

**Chapter 12**

 **Old Memories**

"It's almost dawn," said the emerald SeaWing- Swordfish, Pelican had learned. "That's when they'll take you."

Pelican winced, trying to distract herself from her oncoming doom. "Did you talk much, with my friends?"

"A little," said Swordfish. "The little one, the purple dragon, all she did was talk. She talked about a dragon named Catfish. She said she hoped he was alive and if I saw him, to tell him she said she misses him."

Pelican blinked, remembering her promise to Catfish.

"And the red one was always pacing her cell," said Swordfish. "She didn't talk much, though. Neither did the MudWing one. He mostly stewed in silence."

Pelican felt her stomach lurch. "Do you hear talonsteps?"

Swordfish grimaced by way of a yes. "It was nice knowing you," she said. "I hope one day, if we're both still alive, we can see each other again."

"Thanks," Pelican said, looking down.

Three dragons came through the doors- two large, burly blue dragons and a sleek green SeaWing. To her surprise, they looked up and spoke directly to her.

"You're coming out," said the green dragon.

The stalactites, with a loud grinding sound, began to lift up around her. They disappeared into the ceiling, leaving Pelican alone on the ledge.

The two burly SeaWings grabbed hold of her and flew her down. Swordfish grimaced. Her scales flashed unconsciously. Pelican recognized it from Catfish's lessons.

 _Good luck._

They dragged her down the hall and into a large room. Several dragons were sitting in rows, and a large, shackled chair sat in front of a desk. Pelican looked around, but the faces were unfamiliar.

The guards sat her down at the chair, locking the shackles. The green dragon sat down at the desk and Pelican caught a glimpse of fiery hatred in his eyes, cold and fierce. For whatever reason, this dragon seemed to really loathe her.

"Wait a second!" Pelican cried. "You're the dragon who killed Iceberg!"

"And you'll shut your mouth if you don't want to end up like your little friend," said the green dragon menacingly. He looked down his snout at Pelican. "My name is Eel. I am the leader of the Hybrid Extermination System."

"You mean the group that locked us up?" Pelican asked before she could stop herself. Horrified, she clamped her mouth shut and bowed her head meekly. "Sorry." _Why can't I be quiet?_

"Yes," said Eel coldly. "Look to your left, dragonet."

Pelican turned her head to her left and saw a large wooden door.

"That's the door we take convicted dragons," Eel hissed softly. "You'll be dead in an instant. And it _will hurt._ " Pelican winced slightly.

"Now look to your right." Pelican did as she was told. "That is the door we take innocent victims through. That way- is _freedom._ Is that understood?"

Pelican nodded.

"It has come to some dragons' attention that hybrids may not, in fact, be the danger," Eel said. His face showed that he did not agree with these _some dragons._ "They say it could be animus dragons who pose the real threat. Your job is to tell the impartial judge what happened and they may decide which door-" his voice dropped- "You will exit."

"So- so you're the judge?" Pelican asked.

"No," said Eel. "The judge will arrive in a few minutes."

Pelican exhaled a sigh of relief, though it was small enough that Eel couldn't see. "What about my friends?" she asked, almost fearing the answer. "What happened to them?"

"That is not a matter with which you are to be concerned with," said Eel shortly.

Pelican looked down, struggling not to cry. Fortunately, at that moment the double doors swung open and a large aquamarine dragon thudded in. Eel stood, piercing Pelican with sharp green eyes, and exited out the door to the right.

The aquamarine dragon sat down at the desk where Eel had just been sitting. To Pelican's surprise, the dragon was female. "Well?" she rumbled.

Pelican leaned in. "What?" she asked quietly.

"Tell me your story," said the aquamarine dragon. "Why did you break out of your prison and terrorize Pyrrhia?"

"I- I didn't!" Pelican cried. Suddenly everything, everything that had happened to her over the past few months, it was all pouring out. "We wanted to be free! We didn't want to live our lives underfed in a dungeon with no sun and no water and no life! We wanted to be free! But it all- we didn't- it was-"

"Slow down," said the judge, not unkindly. "Why don't you start at the beginning?"

Pelican took a deep breath. This was going to be hard.

"For the first year of my life, I lived with my mother and my father," she recalled. "My father was an IceWing and my mother was a SeaWing. We lived in Northern Pyrrhia, by the sea, where it was perfect. My mother and I, we used to go swimming together. We would plunge down into the frigid waters, and it didn't bother me how cold it was. I loved every minute of it.

"My father taught me how to fly. We were flying together when they came. The SeaWings, they came so suddenly. They killed my mother first." Pelican's voice shook. "She was on the ground, watching my father and I flying. She had no way of seeing it coming. They threw a spear through her. I can still remember it... my father held me close. 'Don't hurt her!' he yelled. 'Don't hurt my daughter!'

"But they didn't listen," Pelican continued, trying not to cry. "'Step aside, or we'll kill you too,' they said. But he didn't. He didn't step aside. They speared him too. I remember standing there, wondering what had happened to me, wondering when they were going to kill me too.

"But they didn't kill me. They tied me up and they flew me a long way. My wings ached and I was starving. When we got there, I was so relieved to stop flying that I didn't even fight when they put me in the cell. I had no way of knowing that I would be stuck there for four years."

Pelican took a deep breath. "The dragons in the other cells were kind to me," she said. "Iceberg was two years older than me. She was friendly and funny and she helped me through those first few days when it was hard. I think I... I think I took her being there for granted. Sometimes I thought she was annoying. I wouldn't have said those things if I knew she'd die before she turned eight." Pelican blinked.

"Salamander... I thought he was harsh and gruff at first, but he was amazing, too. He and Falcon liked to torment the guard who brought us food. It was their only entertainment."

Pelican wondered if she shouldn't have said that, because the aquamarine SeaWing frowned.

"And Falcon..." Pelican paused. "I think he was so brave. He'd been there the longest, before anyone else was there. And yet he always made it through. And he was smart- really smart. I don't know what I'd have done without them."

Her voice wavered. What would she do if they were dead? It was all right for her to die, but she just couldn't take it if Falcon and Bloodspiller and Salamander were dead.

"And then Bloodspiller came about a year later, and she started keeping tallies of the days in prison. Not much happened for nine hundred eighty days.

"But one day... one day a new dragon came," said Pelican, remembering that fateful day. "She was small, younger than I was, and she had dark purple scales. She said her name was Treejumper.

"And soon, other things began to change. A new guard brought our food, and Treejumper seemed to know him. Turns out he used to be her friend, but then he got recruited to work for the Hybrid Hunters. So then he reported Treejumper's hiding place because they were threatening to kill him.

"And we convinced him that he'd be repaying his debt to Treejumper if he let us go, and so he did. It was- it was the best feeling ever, being free. We snuck out and walked to a forest. Everything was so full of life..."

Pelican hesitated. "But we were found, by a NightWing dragonet. Luckily for us, she and her two friends were outcasts, like us. They took us in and hid us in exchange for food. Our new friends- Hurricane, Cerise, and Startail- they sheltered us for a while. But then we wanted to be out in the world."

What a mistake she'd made. They wanted to be out in the world, and now they were going to pay the price.

"We followed a river and we came into the Kingdom of Sand. Then we met Mange and Ocelot, who turned out to be Salamander's half-sisters! We were so happy... but then they found us."

Pelican's voice cracked. "They killed Iceberg, but the rest of us escaped. I still can't get her out of my head, Iceberg. I tried to save her, but it was too late. Shaken, we went back to our hiding place for a while. Then we left again, for the rainforest. We were sure we'd be safe there. But they found Startail and Hurricane and Cerise, and they tortured our location out of them."

She looked down. "I think that's all the information I have. You can kill me, if you want. But please don't kill my friends. If they're still alive, I'd like to talk to them one last time. They might not be much, but they're all I've got."

The aquamarine SeaWing narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth. "Miss-"

"Pelican-" Pelican whispered, eyes wet.

"Miss Pelican here- this decision is final. My verdict is-"

* * *

 _Sorry about that cliffhanger. I guess we'll have to wait to see Pelican's sentence._

 _I'd like to take this moment to recognize everyone who has favorited, followed, submitted an OC, or supported this story in any other way. Thank you all for helping this story grow and take place. I can't tell you how much this means to me. Pelican, Falcon, and Treejumper are grateful._

Amazingness101, BurritoJoe, cassjo, ClawsofLegacy, Dinorider225, Dragons245, Flood the Hybrid, Leederlee, Lemondrops334, MintRose0608, NovaSpiritWolf, Sandshadow9, VillageIdi0t, Puggle (Guest) and other guests.

 _So, thanks to everyone above and all the others who have supported this story. Please take the poll on my profile page and tell me who your favorite character is. You can also review and tell me. The winner will recieve the FanWings' Choice Award, to be announced in an upcoming chapter._


	13. The Hybrids

_Wow! I can't believe I'm on the thirteenth chapter already! Lucky thirteen, right? :D_

 _I'm glad to be picking up on the next chapter._ _Let's see what happens to Pelican, shall we?_

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

 **The Hybrids**

"Guilty."

Pelican's eyes blurred, and she felt as if she were choking. "G-g-guilty?" she stuttered. She felt like crying, but she couldn't. The realization crashed down over her head. _I'm about to die._

The judge's eyes softened. "I'm sorry, Miss Pelican. Against my personal judgement, several HES members have voted heavily for your disposal."

 _Disposal,_ Pelican thought bitterly. _As if it's neat and tidy. Not like they're killing a dragon._

"You are permitted to see your friends for an hour before your disposal," said the judge, repeating the horrible word, "as a result of the reccomendations by Swordfish, a SeaWing working for us."

 _Swordfish is working for them!_ Pelican thought, shocked. "My friends- they're alive?"

"Yes."

Pelican felt as if a weight had been lifted off of her. Her friends were alive! She was going to die, but her friends were alive! _Better for me to die than them._

"So I can see them?"

"Indeed," said the judge curtly. She stood up to her full height, which was towering, and unlatched Pelican's chains. Quickly she bound Pelican's wings. "They, too, have been convicted, but they are still alive at this moment. You may follow me, Miss Pelican."

The judge walked to the door on the right, and Pelican, ducking her head, followed behind. She abruptly turned around to face the audience, who looked somber. Pelican blinked and found herself saying, "Remember me." She paused and said softly, "Don't forget the five-year-old dragonet who died because of something she couldn't control. Don't forget the bloodred dragon who loved to count but died before she could turn seven.

"Don't forget Iceberg, the innocent dragon who remained optomistic despite growing up in prison, and died for being who she was. Don't forget Treejumper, who lived with her mother and played with her friend, an ordinary SeaWing, because it didn't matter to him that Treejumper was a hybrid."

Pelican paused and took a deep breath. "Remember Salamander, who was separated from his sisters because he was different. Remember Falcon." She didn't say anything past this. How could she describe him? She looked down and whispered:

"Don't forget the hybrids."

.

"Pelican!"

Pelican yelped when she saw her friends in the confinement. Their wings were all bound, and they looked extremely thin. They all had dark circles under their eyes, as if they hadn't gotten any sleep. Yet they all looked very, very happy to see her.

"I missed you," Pelican said, wiping her eyes. "I missed you all." She turned to Treejumper, who looked as if she might fall asleep right there, "Catfish said he's so sorry. He says it's all his fault."

"Oh, no," Treejumper shook her head through furious tears. "No, no, no. It was never his fault."

"Ocelot and Mange miss you," Pelican said to Salamander.

Salamander blinked.

"Bloodspiller..." Lilac eyes met deep crimson ones. "Startail promised to keep up your tally."

She turned to Falcon and had nothing to say. "Falcon..." her throat suddenly felt parched. She hadn't had water in... how long? "I- I- I-"

Falcon narrowed his eyes. The familiar gesture made Pelican laugh. _I'm becoming hysterical,_ she thought. So much had changed since the day a small purple dragonet came into their prison!

"What happened to the dragon who used to intimidate the guard in our prison?"

"I don't know, Pelican," said Falcon. His voice was suddenly... sly? He reached back to his wings and unclipped the wing restraints. "I think he's still right here."

Falcon whirled around before the judge had time to register what was going on. He unclamped the wing restraints and clamped them onto the judge's own wings, pinning her down with surprising strength. In a fraction of a second, Salamander was there too, his tail inches from the judge's heart.

"Don't move, or we will do it," Salamander hissed. "You will let my friends escape."

Pelican blinked in astonishment and turned to her friends, who were unclipping their wing restraints.

"We didn't think you could do that-" the judge whispered hoarsely, her eyes on Pelican's chains.

"What?" Falcon lashed his tail on the ground. "Did you think we were too stupid? Well, we're not. Surprise." He released the judge, who trembled, her eyes not leaving Salamander's venomous tail.

"Treejumper! Bloodspiller! Falcon! Pelican! Fly away!" Salamander yelled.

Pelican, startled, followed Bloodspiller and Treejumper to the door, which Bloodspiller kicked down easily. "So flimsy," the crimson dragon mused. "They're really underestimating us."

Pelican hesitated at the exit. "Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine," Salamander shouted over his shoulder. "Just go. Fly away!"

"You have to promise you'll be there," Pelican yelled.

"I'll be there, okay? Fly away!" Salamander bellowed. Pelican blinked and followed Treejumper, who was lifting off into the air. She flapped up, grateful, for once, that her wings were so large.

"There's a cave just over there!" Bloodspiller yelled from the front. Her SkyWing side had granted her with excellent peripheral vision, Pelican assumed.

"Let's go!"

Pelican swooped downwards. "Do you hear wingbeats?" she heard Treejumper call. Pelican listened closely. She could mostly only hear the wind whistling in her ears. The only wingbeats she heard were Bloodspiller's frantic flaps, Treejumper's tiny swooping, Falcon's long wingbeats, and her own, of course.

"No," she called back.

"Salamander's not coming," Treejumper said softly as they landed with several _thumps_ in one of the mountain caves. "Look, I can't see him anywhere in the sky."

"Do you think the judge killed him?" Falcon asked quietly.

"I don't think she would," Pelican said. "She seemed like a good dragon."

Falcon cocked his head at her. "You know, sometimes I forget you're only five," he said. "You've been through so much for a dragonet, and you don't handle yourself like one."

"Six," Pelican corrected, looking down.

"What?"

"Six," said Pelican softly. "Yesterday was my birthday. I'm six now."

"What?" Falcon's jaw dropped. "Yesterday was your birthday?" He was silent for a second, counting on his talons, figuring things out. "That's right," he said finally. "You are six now. You're six, and Iceberg would be eight if she were still alive, her birthday's just weeks before yours, remember?"

"Yeah," said Pelican softly.

"Look!" Bloodspiller yelped, pulling Pelican out of her thoughts about birthdays and dragonethood and death. "It's Salamander, it's Salamander, here he comes!"

"That's him!" Treejumper whooped.

Sure enough, Pelican could see a small amber figure in the distance. It gradually drew larger until there was Salamander, his amber scales glinting in the sunlight.

"I let her live," he said, landing on the ledge outside the mountain cave. "Sorry it took me so long. I wanted to make sure nobody saw me leave."

"Smart," Pelican said, slightly recovering from the shock. "We should have thought to do that."

"Let's go see what's inside this cave, shall we?" Salamander said, smiling slightly. He ducked inside and they followed after him. Pelican walked forwards eagerly, but the others were silent.

"What's wrong?" Pelican asked, trying to see in front of her. The other hybrids were in her way.

She finally managed to shove forwards, but stopped in her tracks at what she saw. The cave appeared as if it had been occupied long ago. Everything was covered in a layer of dust, but there were ledges heaped with blankets for beds and many baskets strewn everywhere.

Treejumper was leaping around, inspecting everything, and muttering to herself as she did so. Finally she looked up. "This is the cave where I lived with my mother," she said.

Pelican opened her mouth, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything.

Treejumper picked up an old scroll off of the ground, unscrolling it quickly. It was mostly blank, except for a dragonetlike drawing likely painted with paints from fruit juice. It depicted a small sapphire dragonet and a dark purple one playing together.

"What do you think happened to Catfish?" she said softly.

"And my sisters?" Salamander interjected.

"I don't know," said Pelican, "but we'll find a way to save them."

"Are you nuts?" Falcon asked incredulously. "We're not going back there! It's a death sentence! We have to get as far away from here as we can! The lost continent wouldn't be far enough!"

"We aren't leaving our friends," Pelican said frostily. "It's wrong that we should be able to escape and they shouldn't. They're only in there because of us, you know."

"You're right," said Falcon, sighing heavily. "Let's get some rest for now. It's been an... eventful few days."

"That's right," Salamander agreed.

"We can go get them tomorrow," Falcon said. "But after that, we're getting as far away as possible."

"They might not have until tomorrow," Pelican argued.

"They're all riled up from our visit today," Falcon pointed out. "It is in no way safe for us to go out now. You're not getting yourself killed for nothing. We've had too many near-death experiences."

"We've had..." _Hmm, let's think. The time when they found us in the desert... the time when we were caught again... just now..._ "Three," said Pelican.

Falcon formed his mouth into a part-smile, part-grimace. "That's three times too many."


	14. Pelican's Reflection

**Chapter 14**

 **Pelican's Reflection**

Pelican awoke when dawn was barely tickling the horizon. Something wasn't right. Something was different. She stood and walked out of the cave, out onto the ledge.

She just wanted this all to stop. She wanted to be safe again, safe with all the people she loved. She wanted someone to wrap her arms around her and say, "It will be okay."

All this pain... it weighed her down like rocks in her heart. Iceberg, her parents... who was she going to lose next? She herself had narrowly escaped death. She started to wonder why she had had all these lucky escapes. She felt like screaming, "Why haven't I died already?!" She kept getting her hopes up that she'd live, and then she was seconds away from dying.

She looked up to the sky. It was one of those days where it was so cloudy you couldn't see the sun. It was on these days that Pelican felt like just giving up. _What's the point? What's the point?_ she thought over and over and over again. _What's the point? It's like everything I do... I do for nothing. It's not like I have any impact on the future anyway._ She used to think of the future as the dirt and the grass, something she could maybe one day touch if she was lucky. Something she could sink her talons into and make a talonprint into. Now it was more like rock, a tough, untouchable substance she couldn't change.

She heard talonsteps behind her and looked up.

"Treejumper," said Pelican, surprised.

Treejumper sat down beside the IceWing-SeaWing hybrid. She was silent.

Pelican sat for a moment until the little purple dragonet began to talk. "Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I were normal," she said. "I would be a normal NightWing and live with the rest of the tribe. I would be free, free to run and dance and glide through the trees. Free to be who I wanted to be..."

"What makes you so sure you'd be a NightWing and not a RainWing?" asked Pelican curiously, startling herself by talking.

"I don't know," said Treejumper, not sounding the least bit offended at Pelican's question. "I never knew my dad. I've always felt closer to my mom, and to the NightWing tribe. But if I were a RainWing, at least I'd be safe. And I'd have a lot of bananas to eat." She grinned sheepishly. "I don't think RainWings are all lazy, no matter what other dragons say about them."

"Iceberg was anything but lazy," Pelican agreed softly.

"I wish I'd gotten to know her better," said Treejumper. "When I first met her, I guess I was a little afraid of her," the purple dragonet admitted. "She was so _loud._ But she was also really friendly to me. I don't know." She shook her head as if to be rid of all the confusion.

"Are you still mad at Catfish?" Pelican asked.

"I don't know," Treejumper said, looking down at her talons. "I mean, it was horrible, what he did. If I were younger, I might say I was, but- all this stuff I've been through- I mean, they killed his parents, and he loved them like anything. He was always talking about them..."

"I hate all that's happened," Pelican said. "And I hate that you've had to go through it all, being so young."

"You're not that much older," Treejumper pointed out. "And you've had to go through it all, too, and you've been in prison much longer than I have. And they killed your parents when you were only a year old." Regret spread across her face. Her expression clearly said, _why did I say that?_

Pelican looked down. "Do you think it was better, knowing your mom? Or was it worse, because you were used to being around her and then she died?"

"I don't know," _said_ Treejumper quietly. "What do you think?"

"I'm not sure either," Pelican admitted.

"Do you know what time it is?"

"I don't know," Pelican said, glancing at the sky. "It's too cloudy."

"I hate this weather," said Treejumper.

"Me too," said Pelican, surprised. She twined her tail around the purple dragon's. "You know, if you were a normal NightWing, you wouldn't know Catfish or me, or Falcon or Salamander or Bloodspiller."

"That's true," said Treejumper. "And in a way, I wouldn't have it be any other way. I'm- I'm _proud_ to be a hybrid. You guys are all so brave, and... I guess, being a hybrid is part of being me. Trying to ignore my RainWing side would be like trying to ignore a part of myself."

Pelican cocked her head at the dragonet. "That's really insightful," she said. She hadn't expected something that deep from the little purple hybrid. _I guess that just goes to show that you shouldn't judge someone based on how old they are... or if what tribe they are... or where they come from._

Treejumper rubbed her head. "I had a strange dream last night," she said.

"Like a vision?" Pelican asked, alarmed.

"No, no, not like a vision," Treejumper said. "Just... odd. I feel like there was someone there... someone watching me... I can't remember," she said, sounding frustrated.

Pelican glanced at the sky again. "The others will probably wake up soon," she said. "We'll have to go find the others... Startail and Hurricane and Cerise, and Salamander's sisters."

"Yeah," said Treejumper, shivering.

Pelican looked down. _The adventure is not over,_ she thought. _It's just beginning._

.

Eel dipped his talons in the river. Red bloodstains wafted away.

He withdrew his talons and shook them off. _Another dragon dead, but that doesn't do me any good,_ he thought angrily. _Stonefish is going to be furious._

 _Why am I surrounded by so many incompetent dragons?_ he thought crossly, easing into the river. _You want something done, you do it yourself._

He ducked underwater. This _is all Aquamarine's fault. Her and her stupid group of peacemongers. What are they called? Wings of Peace?_

 _Talons of Peace,_ he remembered, swimming through the dark green waters. _That's it. The Talons of Peace. What a stupid name. Fitting for a stupid group. What are they thinking, giving those hybrids a chance to survive? They're vicious._

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid._ He approached a narrow channel and squeezed through. It was small and pitch-black, but his night vision allowed him to see through. _Aquamarine deserved what she got. I'd say she got off easy. What she did was punishable by a fate far worse than death. Now Stonefish will be mad at me..._

Eel sighed. _How do I end up in these situations?_ I _didn't do anything. It wasn't my fault that the hybrids escaped the first time, and it isn't my fault this time._

He narrowed his eyes. _There's only one thing left to do._

 _I'll track them down and kill them myself._


	15. A Daring Rescue

_Wow... chapter fifteen? I remember when I was just starting to write this._ _I said back in chapter 12 that your favorite character would be announced in an upcoming chapter. So... here are the winners!_

 _ **1st place:** She won by a landslide... almost half of you guys voted for **Treejumper** as your favorite character! I personally love the character of Treejumper, and I'm excited to further her character development in upcoming chapters._

 _ **2nd place: Pelican** , my favorite character. She's not your typical hero- I think most authors would make Treejumper the protagonist. I know The Hybrids would be drastically different from Treejumper's point of veiw; not necissarily in a bad way, but I'm glad I chose Pelican as my protagonist._

 _ **3rd place:** we had a tie for third- **Falcon** and **Ocelot**. In my first draft of the story, the main character was a SkyWing-IceWing hybrid! I was writing her character and found that the story was very different from what I thought it would be. I eventually decided Falcon would be better suited for a side character- instead I created Pelican, who I personally feel was a much better fit for protagonist. I personally love Falcon and hold a small bit of favoritism towards both him and Pelican. Ocelot is an OC submitted by NovaSpiritWolf, an author on this site. She's really awesome- you should go check her out. When I recieved the character of Ocelot, I was very pleased with her. I think it's really fun to write scenes between Ocelot and Startail._

 _So those are the winners. Who are your favorite characters?_

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

 **A Daring Rescue**

"Come on, slowpoke!" Falcon spread his wings and flew ahead of her.

Pelican felt the wind in her face and felt almost as if she were about to laugh. "Oh no you don't!" She let the air catch under her wings and glided ahead. Her overlarge wings finally coming to a good use, Pelican mused. What a surprise.

"Hush up, lovebirds, we're almost there," said Salamander.

Pelican felt her face redden.

"Come on, there's the prison!" Treejumper called, pointing down. "See, there's the sky hole. We can fly in from there. Remember the plan, guys- Salamander and Falcon by the door, ready to fight off guards, Bloodspiller outside the sky hole on lookout. Pelican and I will go free them."

"This is a bad idea," Bloodspiller fretted.

"Do you have the stalagmite, Bloodspiller?" Treejumper asked cheerfully.

"Stalactite," Bloodspiller corrected, handing Pelican the sharp, twisted spear. "I spent all night carving into it, making it small enough to fit into the keyhole."

"And we appreciate it," said Treejumper warmly.

"No, no, don't get me wrong- I liked doing it," said Bloodspiller. "Gave me a thing to carve my claws into... it's a lot better than marking tallies."

Pelican smiled as she grasped the stalactite in her talons. "Okay, operation Save our Friends is a go."

Pelican and Treejumper squeezed through the sky hole and into the familiar prison. For a moment she was worried they'd be gone, and there'd be an empty prison, and it would be too late to see them. But then she saw the worn, hopeless, bedraggled faces of her friends.

"Treejumper!" Catfish yelped. He had dark circles under his eyes and he had a hopelessness in his eyes, but his face immediately lit up like a torch when he saw them. "You're alive!"

Treejumper grinned. "We came to rescue you."

Pelican landed with a thump on the ground and headed for Startail's cell. She carefully inserted the stalactite into the keyhole and turned it around once- twice-

 _Click._

It worked! Pelican withdrew the stalactite as the cell door swung open. Startail rushed out, spreading her wings as far out as they could go. "This feels great," said Startail. "That was _so_ awful, _by_ the _moons_!"

Pelican couldn't help but share Startail's grin. She passed the stalactite to Treejumper to unlock the other cells. "I'm sorry we couldn't come sooner," she told Startail as Treejumper unlocked Catfish's cell. "We had to wait until we could rescue you safely."

"It's fine, it's fine, it's fine," said Startail.

"It's _more_ than fine," Ocelot insisted. Treejumper moved on to unlocking Cerise's cell, and the now-freed Catfish glanced at her wistfully.

Bloodspiller ducked her head inside. "Hurry up," she whispered, "We don't have all day."

"We're _hurrying_ ," said Treejumper as Cerise ducked through the cell doorway.

Pelican smiled weakly.

"Come on, come on, come on," Bloodspiller whispered.

Treejumper wiggled the stalactite.

 _Click._

 _Click._

 _Click._

 _"Hurry."_

"Come on!" Pelican whispered loudly, squeezing through the sky hole. Her friends followed behind her. "Let's go, let's go, let's get out of here! Hey, Treejumper, can you get Falcon and Salamander?"

"Okay," said Treejumper quietly, swooping down to get them.

"Follow me," said Pelican, swooshing through the air. Her wings were rigid and tense, and although it had been only a few minutes ago that she'd been laughing and chasing Falcon, her good mood was now gone. She had to get the others back safely.

"Wha-" asked Catfish as they landed on the ledge. He looked from the cave to Treejumper, the cave to Treejumper, the cave to Treejumper- "This is where-"

"They know," said Treejumper gently.

"And you're okay?" Catfish asked. His talons twitched.

"I'm fine," said Treejumper. "Come on, let's get inside." She rushed inside in a way that made Pelican think that she wasn't fine. _It is where she used to live, after all._ Pelican thought of cold nights sitting by the seashore and watching the glowing drifts of sparkly ice studding a freezing blue sea, of frigid plunges into the wonderfully cold ocean, of freezing air, and felt instantly homesick.

 _How did you find us?_ Hurricane asked.

"We know a thing or two about escaping from prisons," said Pelican with a small smile.

"I can't _believe_ you came back for us," Startail said, flapping her glittery wings excitedly. "You were in _so much danger_ and you still came back anyway!"

"Of course we did," said Pelican. She wasn't sure whether she should be flattered or offended. "What are friends for?"

Startail smiled back, then dropped her eyes to the floor.

"What's wrong?" Pelican asked. _Was it something I said?_

"I used to have a friend," Startail said carefully, "And she reminded me of you."

"Of me?" Pelican blinked.

"Yeah." Startail tapped her talons against the wall. "Her name was Shadowchaser, actually."

"That's a pretty name. Much prettier than Pelican."

"I like the name Pelican," said Startail. She finally looked up. "It really fits an IceWing-SeaWing hybrid." She paused delicately and said, "Shadowchaser liked to look at dragons' eyes. She said that you can hide anything with your face, but your eyes always give the truth away."

"Really?" Pelican asked. "That's actually true." She looked around at Falcon's narrowed yellow-orange eyes, Salamander's wide warm amber, Bloodspiller's dark reddish brown ones. Catfish's eyes were squinched up with worry, and Treejumper's were crinkled around the edges with joy.

Startail looked out of the cave at the sky. "Wow. Look, the sun is setting."

Pelican peered out. "So it is." She could see the pale outline of the moons in the sky- all crescents. She settled down on the ledge next to Startail.

"So much can change in a day, can't it?"


	16. Allies

**Chapter 16**

 **Allies**

Pelican, Ocelot, Treejumper, and Startail all sat on the ledge playing a clapping game with their talons. Though Pelican was the oldest by far, she wasn't much larger than the others. Mange and Salamander sat on the floor with Falcon, Hurricane, and Cerise on Salamander's right and Catfish on Mange's left. Next to Catfish was Bloodspiller, who was carving intricate patterns into a stalactite.

"I can't believe it!" Ocelot said, amazed. She clapped her talons up and down.

"They sentenced you to death?! And you escaped?" Startail gaped.

"We did," said Treejumper.

"It was mostly Falcon and Salamander," Pelican admitted.

Falcon's head snapped up abruptly. "Shush, shush!"

After a moment, Pelican could hear the voices too. "Grandma, if they're anywhere, I know they'll be here. You said one of them used to live here, and it's close to the Hybrid Hunters' headquarters."

Falcon locked eyes with Pelican. "Hide!"

Pelican scrambled up from her seat, trying to find a place to hide. _Where, oh where are the proper hiding places?!_

"Hello?" The voice echoed off of the cave walls. "Hybrids- if you're there, please, please, please answer me! I'm just trying to help you!"

And a dragon stepped out of the shadows.

Actually, it was two dragons. One was old, with dusty orange scales and large, wrinkled yellow-orange eyes. The other was a dragon a bit older than Falcon and Salamander, with scales that were a mix of orange, yellow, and red. They were both female.

"See, Grammy, I told you they were here!"

Pelican trembled, and the old SkyWing smiled gently. "Don't be frightened, child," she said. Her voice was fragile and sweet, like honey or a little bird. "We're here to help you."

Falcon hissed dangerously. "Get away."

"Woah there," The old SkyWing clucked, backing up. "No need to be hostile. My name is Gingerly, and this is my granddaughter, Forestfire."

"I know you," Treejumper whispered, her eyes huge. Her purple talons trembled. "You were part of the committee who came to capture my mother."

Salamander arched his back; his tail twitched.

"I know, darling," Gingerly said. "I've been trying to help you. My granddaughter was born with an odd scale mutation-" the old SkyWing gestured to Forestfire's multicolored scales- "And she was sentenced to death. People thought she was a hybrid, so they feared her. We had to go into hiding. That was when I realized how many innocent dragons where suffering."

"Are you?" Treejumper asked. "Are you a hybrid?"

"No," Forestfire said, blinking. "I'm a full SkyWing- my egg was cracked a little when I hatched and my scales somehow got messed up. It doesn't make much scientific sense- you'll have to ask my grandma. I don't understand all of the science, but she does."

Gingerly's chest puffed up with pride. "Not now, not now... anyway, me and a few of my old friends infiltrated the HES in the hopes of helping y'all- but it turns out you didn't need much helping, 'cause you escaped all right by yourselves. And then you got captured again... and before I could help you, you escaped again!"

Pelican smiled a sideways smile. "I guess we did."

"You may have met a few of my comrads, though," said Gingerly. "Swordfish tried to help you, but she got caught prying in some of the HES private files and was put in prison!"

"We met her!" Pelican said excitedly.

"And Aquamarine was the judge who tried to help you out," Gingerly continued, ducking her head. "It cost her her life, unfortunately."

"Oh, no!" Pelican cried, distressed. "What happened?"

"Eel, the leader of the HES, was very upset with her for allowing you to escape from... how did he phrase it?... from right under her talons."

"Oh, no," said Pelican, clutching her head.

"Okay, so supposedly Forestfire here was born with an odd scale mutation," Salamander flicked a talon at the SkyWing, "And then she was sentenced to death and you had to go into hiding, and so you infiltrated the HES just to help us."

"Yes," said Forestfire firmly.

"I don't believe it."

"Well, you better believe it, _buddy,_ " Forestfire hissed, leaning forwards, "Because either we can help you or we can leave you here to probably get caught. If we could find you, so could everyone else."

Salamander blinked. "Lead away."

"We're going to take you to a secure location on the edge of the continent, on an island shortly outside of the Kingdom of the Sea," said Gingerly. "We'll travel across the Winding Tail River- it starts close to here, flows past Jade Mountain, and empties out into the sea."

"You never asked us if _we_ agreed to this plan," Falcon hissed.

"We agree," said Bloodspiller quickly, looking up from her stalactite for the first time.

"We definitely agree," said Treejumper.

"Good." Gingerly smiled. Her eyes crinkled up at the edges. "I'm so glad we finally found you all... Can you introduce us? I mean, I know that you're Falcon, obviously, and you're Pelican and Salamander... which one is Bloodspiller? I've heard a lot about her."

"Me?" Bloodspiller blinked. "I'm Bloodspiller."

Gingerly held out a talon for Bloodspiller to shake. "It's nice to meet you, Bloodspiller. You probably don't know this, but my daughter- Forestfire's mother- was an old-time friend of your parents."

"My parents?" Bloodspiller shook the old SkyWing's talon numbly.

Gingerly smiled sadly. "We were devastated to find out what happened to them."

"What happened to your daughter?" Bloodspiller asked, looking down at her talons.

"I'm afraid they suffered the same fate," said Gingerly softly. "Luckily I was able to intercept my granddaughter before she could be put into the same situation you were."

Pelican thought about that. Another hybrid in prison with her? Another hybrid to laugh and play with... another hybrid to join them on this adventure. On the other talon, who's to say she would survive the whole encounter- what if she took the same path as Iceberg.

And she wasn't really a hybrid- she just had a problem with her egg when hatching. She reminded Pelican more of Startail, Hurricane, and Cerise. She thought of Startail flying diligently from the prison to their hiding place, fighting through despite the pain it undoubtedly gave her in her wing, and instantly felt as if their predicament was even worse than hers.

 _Come to think of it... Cerise and Startail were injured, but Forestfire and Hurricane were born like that. Which is worse, to lose something you love, or to not have it at all?_

"It's terrible that you had to go through with all that," said Startail, ducking her head. It took Pelican a moment to realize that she was talking to Gingerly. "Cerise, Hurricane and I are like Forestfire. We were banished from our own kingdoms."

"Oh?" Gingerly's brow furrowed. "I'd heard of the dragons who sheltered the hybrids, but I did not know they were in the same boat as my Forestfire."

"Yes, we are," said Startail earnestly. "I injured my wing in an incident in the Night Kingdom-" Gingerly looked surprised- "And Cerise injured her tail. Hurricane is mute- he can only talk in Aquatic."

"Aquatic?" Forestfire whistled. "That's a tough boat to be in."

"We've had to learn it so we can understand him," said Startail.

"Wow. That must be hard."

 _It is,_ Hurricane flashed.

"He said it is," Catfish translated.

"And you must be Catfish," said Gingerly, nodding. "The dragon who set the hybrids free from prison... what a kind and chivalrous deed, I must say."

"Not really." Catfish ducked his head. "I owed it to Treejumper, for getting her in there in the first place."

"You've repaid that deed many times over," Treejumper assured him.

"Well, we can't very well stay here," said Forestfire. She was still looking at Hurricane. "We have to get you to the safe place."

"Thanks," Pelican said, smiling slightly. "We may have escaped from prison, but we're still in grave danger. It helps to have a new ally."


	17. Surprise Attack

**Chapter 17**

 **Surprise Attack**

"I remember this river," Treejumper sighed, sloshing through the waters. "We traveled along this river from our prison to Startail's forest."

"Startail's forest?" Cerise grumbled.

"Iceberg complained the whole way there," Pelican reminisced. The memory was the only thing stopping her from floating away in a ball of peaceful bliss. The water was cold and clear, and it filled her up inside with a calm, pleasant feeling. The memory, however, was like an eerie echo, bouncing across her peace.

"This was the plan from the beginning," said Gingerly. "To bring you along this river. The universe had other plans, though."

Forestfire smiled wistfully.

"I don't feel safe here," said Bloodspiller tensely. Pelican could see the crimson dragon sink her talons into the earth below. "I know that horrible green dragon is searching for us as we speak."

"That's why we're getting as far away from here as possible," said Forestfire soothingly.

"Eel is the leader and founder of the HES," said Gingerly. "He believes in order and swift punishment. He doesn't care who he has to kill to get to you."

"Why does he hate us so much?" Pelican asked, shivering. It wasn't from the water- it was from the memory of his cold, cruel eyes boring into her, and his wicked voice that hissed like a snake.

"That we do not know."

"Do you know where we are?" Salamander asked. "It feels like we've been traveling all day, and I'm freezing. I just want to roll around in some warm mud."

"Blech," said Pelican. "Mud? It's so peaceful and comfortable here."

"Not sure," said Forestfire, inspecting her talons. "But we do know the journey will take several days. If you need to take a break, we can do that."

"That would be great," said Ocelot breathlessly. "My talons hurt so bad." The SandWing dragonet sloshed out of the water, flapping her shivering wings to keep warm. The others followed behind her.

Pelican felt an intense wave of heat splash over her as she climbed out of the water. Frigid water dripped onto her talons. It was only when she left the river that she realized how cold the water was.

"There are a bunch of berries over there," said Treejumper expertly, pointing to an untamed bush of fat purple blackberries. "Does anyone want to help me pick some?"

"Are they safe to eat?" Pelican asked warily.

"They are," said Treejumper. "Trust me, I know."

"Well, Ocelot and I will help," said Startail, glancing at the white-gold dragonet standing next to her. "I know how to pick berries, and we can teach Ocelot, if she wants to learn."

"I'd love that," said Ocelot, beaming. "There are no berries in the desert."

"Oh, you'll love them," said Startail. "They're so delicious. Right, Treejumper?" She nudged Treejumper playfully, and the little hybrid nodded her head, smiling.

 _This is what things should be like,_ Pelican thought, watching the dragonets play. _Hybrids can play with normal dragons and not feel like mistakes. They can just be themselves._

"Okay, well, Falcon and I can go hunt," said Salamander, arching his back and coiling his venomous tail.

"Can I help?" Bloodspiller asked.

"Sure," said Salamander, looking surprised. A flash of irritation crossed Bloodspiller's face, which Pelican caught but she thought most of the others missed.

"Well, I can catch a few fish," said Pelican, "And if you two want to help me, that'll be great." She nodded her head at Hurricane and Catfish.

"So that leaves Forestfire and I to do what, stand around?" Cerise growled.

"So what can I do?" Forestfire said at the same time.

The two SkyWings glanced at each other. Forestfire raised her eyebrows; Cerise narrowed her eyes. Then they both smiled.

"Oooookaaaaay," said Catfish, "So that was weird. Pelican, Hurricane, let's go fish."

"Okay," said Pelican eagerly. Hurricane's scales flashed a pattern Pelican didn't know, but she assumed it was similar to what she'd said. The three SeaWings quickly rushed back to the river.

 _You're not a SeaWing,_ Pelican reminded herself. _You're a hybrid. You'll never fit in._

Pelican had never met a real IceWing before, except for her father, and she barely remembered him. She really related to Catfish and Hurricane, but there was something in her- a streak of pride, maybe- something inside her that was not very SeaWing-like at all.

And after all, she didn't relate to all SeaWings. Just the thought of Eel made her shudder again.

Pelican blinked and leaned down into the stream. Little minnows swept through it. The water was so clear; it would be easy to catch the tiny fish.

Pelican speared a fish and set it, dripping, on the rock beside the stream. She twisted around to see Salamander and Falcon examining a tree for birds. Pelican felt her heart thumping in her chest.

 _Oh, stop it,_ she thought. _Get back to work._

She turned back to the pile, which was slowly growing on top of the first fish. She leaned down and seized a particularly fat one, placing it on top of the pile.

"Nice catch," said Catfish briskly.

"Thanks," said Pelican. "We don't have to catch that many if we're the only ones who will eat them.

.

Pelican nibbled delicately on a fishtail. She felt eyes on her and looked up to see Falcon staring at her.

 _What is this feeling?_ She wondered. Why was her heart beating so fast when she looked at him? He was still the same Falcon. She never felt like this before. _We're fleeing the continent and you can still think about things like this._

She shook her head to clear the thoughts. _Think about that later._

But her heart was still beating vigorously in her chest. She felt a chill as their eyes met, lilac and orange, staring each other down. _Can I pause time here, when everything is great and we haven't fled the continent? Just me and Falcon, staring each other down, forever?_

Pelican felt sharp talons seize her heart when two burly blue SeaWings swooped down out of nowhere and grabbed Falcon. "Falcon, watch out!" Pelican shrieked, her heart pounding for real now.

Salamander quickly slashed them both with his tails and they fell to the ground, unmistakably dead. Falcon didn't look up, but stared down at his talons.

"Are you okay?" Salamander asked. Still Falcon did not look up.

"Falcon, what's wrong?" Pelican asked, her voice panicky.

Falcon looked up at long last, holding his talons out for everyone to see. Across his right talon, over the many scars, was a thin purple slash.

Falcon had been hit with the venom.


	18. Worries

_Wow. Eighteen chapters now. At the time when I'm writing this, The Hybrids is in three communities and has 19 favorites and 13 follows. This means a lot to me, and I can't thank you all enough for all of your support._

 _For chapter 20, I'm going to be doing something special in celebration! I won't give it away yet, but it will be pretty cool. Anyway, I hope you like this new chapter._

✿ _Fantasy_ ✿

* * *

 **Chapter 18**

 **Worries**

Pelican felt dizzy as she handed Ocelot the newly packed bag full of supplies. Treejumper, Ocelot, and Startail had done the weaving; Pelican and the two SeaWings had caught some fish ("Just in case," said Catfish); Falcon and Forestfire had caught some birds; and Treejumper had also picked some berries.

"Pelican, _it will be okay,_ " Ocelot said forcefully, taking the bag in her talons. "We got injuries all the time in the desert. It's natural for us. We just have to go back to the desert and get the cactus juice that heals it."

"I wish I could go with you," Pelican said fervently.

"We made a deal," Ocelot reminded her. "It's not safe for you to go out into the open. It'll be perfectly safe for me and Mange. And dragons won't speculate too much about Hurricane and Cerise. And as for Startail... well, we probably won't run into many dragons anyway."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Pelican worried.

"What's the worst that could happen?"

"I can think of a _lot_ of things," Pelican said, her stomach lurching unpleasantly. "Like, Eel is there and he captures you and then either locks you up or murders you. Oh, or he might torture you for our location again. And even if Eel doesn't find you, somebody might think you look suspicious and capture you for their own purposes."

"Always coming up with ways to worry, aren't you, Pelican," said Bloodspiller affectionately. "What happened to the little dragonet who was always looking on the bright side?"

Pelican felt a jolt of memory. _"It's better than nothing," she'd said._

 _"It is_ not _better than nothing; it's just Pelican trying to see the best in things again," Falcon had replied._

 _"We'd never survive if everyone was all negative! Can I help that I want to see the best in things?"_

"I'm older now; older and wiser," said Pelican. "I have to be on the lookout. Anything could happen, like another surprise attack or something far worse. I have to be ready. I have to be prepared!"

"Pelican, calm down," Bloodspiller said quietly. Her crimson tail wound around Pelican's blue-gray one. "It's going to be okay, it's not like they're going without backup."

"I understand." Pelican tried to steady her breathing. "You guys should go. Quickly. We don't have much time."

The seven dragons turned around, their pouches slung around their necks, and spread their wings. Pelican had just a moment to marvel at the beauty of light shining through their wings before they were gone.

Pelican watched the dragons disappear into tiny dots in the sky. "It's not safe here," said Pelican nervously, not taking her eyes off of the tiny dots that were shrinking and shrinking. "What if they find us again?"

"Pelican, _it will be okay,_ " said Bloodspiller.

Pelican finally took her eyes off of the disappearing dragons. "We're back to where we began," she said quietly.

"What?"

"We're back to where we began," Pelican repeated. "It's just us, the hybrids and Catfish. So much has changed since that day we escaped our prison."

"Yeah," Bloodspiller said wistfully. "It was so strange to see everyone in the sunlight. We all looked so different. But now I've gotten kind of used to it."

"Yeah, me too," Pelican agreed. An image flashed into her head- Iceberg, spreading her wings as the sunlight glowed through the shimmery opal scales.

"Everything was different then," said Salamander. He had been watching his stepsisters fly away, but now he added, "We were so naive. I had this perfect little picture in my head of what freedom was going to be like. I never pictured it being so _hard._ "

"Yeah. I just don't get it. Why does Eel hate us so much?" Treejumper groaned. "Why do dragons think we're so bad. We're the _only_ hybrids in the whole continent! It's not like we're a threat."

"And _why_ did they lock us up instead of just killing us as baby dragonets?" Pelican asked. All her questions were spilling out. "The only possible reason would be that they were planning to use us."

"Use us?" Bloodspiller echoed.

"You know," Pelican said. "Make us fight. Like some... super weapon." A shiver went up her spine. She didn't like the idea of that horrible Eel using her as a weapon.

"Stop it, you're freaking me out," Treejumper said. "And anyway, it doesn't matter now. All that matters is that we're safe."

"Well, we're not," said Falcon. "They found us. They might find us again."

"Falcon, where did you get those scars?"

Salamander, Bloodspiller, Pelican, and Falcon all turned to stare at the tiny purple dragonet who had asked this question. The question they'd all wanted to ask him for so long.

Falcon blinked. "It happened when I was captured," he said bitterly. "After they killed my parents, I tried to escape. I couldn't. They captured me. They had to give me a little pain so I could realize who was in charge, they said."

"I never knew that," said Pelican carefully. "How far did you get?"

"Not very far," Falcon admitted.

Pelican sighed. "That's the problem with being a hybrid..."

" _The_ problem?" Falcon hissed exasperatedly. "You mean one of the _many, many, many_ problems. And what are you talking about anyway?"

"It seems like everyone's out to get you."

"Everyone thinks we're evil," Treejumper agreed.

"I mean, do I _look_ evil to you?" Falcon growled.

"You don't want me to answer that," Bloodspiller snorted.

There was a pause, a moment of silence, and then Treejumper started to laugh. A moment later, Bloodspiller joined in. Then Pelican was laughing too.

"It's not funny!" Falcon cried.

"Yes- it is-" Treejumper heaved, still giggling.

Pelican saw Falcon and Salamander exchange glances. Falcon rolled his eyes, and Pelican could have sworn he muttered under his breath, _"Girls."_

Pelican let her doubts fall away for once, her outer shell of worry pushed aside, just enjoying for one moment, laughing with her friends.


	19. We Meet Again

_YAY YAY YAY! We reached 20 favorites (and 65 reviews)! What a milestone! I'm so happy and appreciative to all of you guys for supporting The Hybrids as we continue through the story. Chapter 20 is coming soon, and that's another big milestone. I remember when Chapter 10 was a big milestone for me. I'm so, so happy for all of your support._

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

 **We Meet Again**

"Does it hurt?" Pelican asked instantly as Falcon dabbed on the cactus juice. The effect was clear right away: the wound seemed smoother somehow, and Falcon's stiff body relaxed.

"No, it actually feels much better," said Falcon, breathing out softly.

"I'm _so_ sorry," said Salamander quietly.

"It's not your fault, Salamander," Forestfire said forcefully; Salamander looked up, surprised. "You were just protecting us! We would be dead now if you hadn't leaped in and saved us."

"I have to agree with my granddaughter," Gingerly said creakily. "These old bones don't move as quickly as they used to. I for one wouldn't have been able to get away quick enough."

Salamander looked grateful. His sisters squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.

"It doesn't matter now," Pelican agreed wearily, swaying slowly on the spot. The air was warm and a soft breeze rippled through the trees. "What matters is that Falcon is okay."

"Pelican, when was the last time you slept?" Falcon said, looking alarmed.

"Oh," said Pelican quietly. She hadn't slept last night; she had stayed awake, glancing anxiously at the sky every five minutes. "I guess, now that you mention it-"

"You should sleep," Bloodspiller said gently.

"Okay," said Pelican. She settled herself under a large tree; the moss was cool and smooth under her scales."Maybe just for a little while- you have to wake me up-"

Pelican's eyes drooped, and she found herself, for the first time in a long, long while, in a dreamless sleep.

...

Pelican blinked awake, startled. The sun had gone from its tipsy perch on the top of the clouds to barely tickling the horizon. She had slept through the whole day.

The air was much cooler now. Ocelot, Treejumper, and Startail were chasing fireflies, giggling, cupping the softly glowing creatures in their talons. Bloodspiller, Cerise, and Forestfire were curled up together, resting, red and orange SkyWing wings and tails curled together so you could hardly tell whose was whose.

"Pelican!" Falcon called, waving her over. He, Salamander, Catfish, and Hurricane were eating what looked like freshly caught prey. Pelican quickly darted over.

"You should have woken me up," Pelican said sternly.

Salamander rolled his eyes.

Hurricane gave her a weary, silent smile as she reached for a pink and gray speckled fish.

"Really," Pelican repeated. "I don't know what's wrong with me. You shouldn't keep letting me sleep in like this. I need to help keep watch! I need to pull my load."

"Bloodspiller and Forestfire have been sleeping almost as long as you have," Salamander responded, nodding at the red dragons. "It's been a long couple of days. You deserve to get as much rest as you need."

Pelican glanced over at Hurricane, but his smile had vanished. His scales were flashing and flashing like the fireflies, and there was a look of urgency on his face. Pelican, alarmed, called, "Startail!"

"Yeah?" Startail ran over, heaving breaths.

"What is Hurricane saying?" Pelican asked. He was flashing the same few scales again, over and over, but she didn't recognize it. Treejumper's face paled as she saw it.

"Danger," she said quietly. "He's saying 'danger.'"

Pelican glanced upwards, her stomach sinking. Sure enough, there was a glimmer of green scales in the sky, swooping down towards them. "He's back!" she shrieked, loud enough to wake the sleeping SkyWings. "Run! Hide!"

"There are too many of them," Falcon responded. "We can't all escape. We have to fight."

"But what if-?" Pelican's heart pounded inside her chest.

"Nothing will happen," Falcon said forcefully. Treejumper was running around, shaking a groggy Bloodspiller awake, pulling her aside. "We should get the little ones out of here, though." He turned to Mange, who was holding her sister tightly. "Mange, take your sister and Startail and Treejumper and hide."

"But-" Mange protested.

"Go."

Pelican caught a glimpse of Mange's determined face before she turned and ran away with Ocelot.

Bloodspiller ran over. "What's going on?" she asked alertly. Pelican pointed wordlessly to the sky, and Bloodspiller's dark scales seemed to get a little paler.

And then the green dragon landed with a _thump_ on the ground. His eyes glowed green in the dense light of the forest. "Did you really think," he said in his slow, hissing voice, "that you could hide from me?" Several SeaWings landed behind him, and it occurred to Pelican that they were bigger and even more brutish-looking than ever.

"No," Salamander responded bravely. "Which is why we're not hiding from you. We're going to defeat you, and then all of this will be over. Do you really think your followers agree with you? They follow you out of fear, not of admiration!"

"You fool," Eel snarled, advancing on Salamander. He was bigger, but Salamander was brawnier and more equipped. The SandWing hybrid quickly flicked his tail towards Eel's heart, but the SeaWing flinched away just in time to avoid a fatal stab. A thin line of dark purple streaked across Eel's wing, and he screamed in agony.

"I will kill you," Eel yelled. "I'll kill all of you, like I should have done a long time ago. Like I did to your little IceWing-looking friend. Like I did to the judge who dared to challenge me. Like I did to the fool SeaWing who tried to infiltrate the Hybrid Extermination System!"

Pelican remembered with a flash of pain the kind, apologetic look on Swordfish's face.

"Is that really what you think?" Forestfire growled, breathing a line of flame onto Eel's wing.

Pelican glanced upwards in just enough time to watch Falcon knock a seafoam-colored dragon out of the sky with surprising strength. He and Bloodspiller were grappling with several SeaWings at one time. Bloodspiller quickly slashed her talons across a SeaWing underbelly.

Pelican had a flash of déjà vu, remembering the high-pitched scream of a female SeaWing. _"I was one of you!"_

"Pelican, duck!" Bloodspiller screamed.

Pelican ducked just in time. A large blue SeaWing stumbled and rammed into a large tree, promptly knocking himself out. Pelican breathed out in relief. Her wings shook uncontrollably; her heart trembled.

Pelican wished more than ever that she had some kind of weapon. Maybe a cool SeaWing-IceWing blue ice-fire. Even normal frostbreath would be fine with her. More than fine! Or maybe some super fighting abilities to knock dragons out of the sky like flies.

A dragon promptly fell to the ground beside her, and she heard a yell from the sky: "Nice one, Bloodspiller!"

Pelican sighed.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Startail fighting a SeaWing. _Why is she out here?_ Pelican thought, darting over to slash her talons across the SeaWing's neck. "Why are you not with the others?" Pelican yelled as the SeaWing clawed back at her. "Treejumper and Ocelot."

"They couldn't find me," Startail responded, her eyes big and red. "I'm sorry- I couldn't just wait while Cerise and Hurricane fought for me. I had to fight." She was bleeding heavily; Pelican was reminded horribly of Iceberg.

"You can't fly!" Pelican said. "You should be safe."

"I'm never safe," Startail said. "Not while my friends aren't safe."

Pelican knocked the SeaWing into a tree. "Go find somewhere to hide," she said urgently. "You don't have to fight, not when you're this badly injured. I promise we'll come find you when the fight's over. I'll try my best to keep everyone safe. But it's okay to think of yourself now."

Startail hugged Pelican tightly, crying softly into her blue-gray scales and leaving a trail of blood, then whipped around and vanished into the trees. Pelican shivered, watching her go.

 _Scccrrrrrraaaaaaape._

 _Scccrrrrraaaaaaaape._

 _Scccrrrrraaaaaaaape._

Pelican turned. Eel was standing behind her, bleeding heavily, with several venomous slashes across his body. Her wings shivered together in the dark. "Hello, Eel," she said quietly. She tried to keep her voice steady. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

"Little Pelican," Eel hissed, his tongue between his teeth. "I had the pleasure of meeting your parents, young lady."

Pelican felt sick to her stomach. "You killed them," she said, her eyes stone-hard.

"Yesss... and no," Eel said, smiling grimly. "Your mother was an acquaintance of mine... shame she ran off with a filthy IceWing. I'm afraid she was always rather stupid and misguided. 'I fell in love!'" He made his voice high and mocking. "Fell in love, indeed. She contaminated SeaWing blood is what she did."

"Why do you hate us so much?" Pelican said, shaking.

Eel laughed, a cruel hissing sound. His face was lit up in the dark by the soft yellowish glow of the fireflies. He took a swipe at Pelican's underbelly with sharp talons, but Pelican darted out of the way, feeling sick. She raked her talons across Eel's snout, and he howled in pain.

"Pelican!"

She heard the shout from the sky. Bloodspiller and Falcon quickly rushed down to help her. "Are you okay?" Bloodspiller shouted. It was hard to see the blood coming from her wing; it was the same color as her scales. But she didn't seem to have suffered too much damage. Falcon had a few bleeding scratches on his snout and underbelly, but he didn't look any worse for the wear.

"Are you okay?" Falcon asked, forcefully knocking Eel into a tree.

"Fine," Pelican said, breathing hard. She scratched her talons across Eel's throat. She tried not to throw up. There were blue and green-scaled corpses scattered all across the forest clearing.

"This will never be over," Eel whispered weakly. "This will never be over."

But the life was draining out of him. He had lost too much blood. Pelican shivered into the cruel green eyes that had haunted her nightmares for so long, and they softened until they were only glassy orbs that stared without seeing. The dragon they'd been hiding from for so long was finally dead.


End file.
